De-cluttering your home

The task of selling a home can be seriously hampered by a hoarding habit, and it can reduce the sale value by thousands of pounds.

Hoarding has been recognised in recent years as a growing problem for more and more people, and the accumulation of clutter, odds and ends and general rubbish can have a damaging effect on all aspects of a person's lifestyle. 

When it comes to selling a property this problem can present itself as a major obstacle, putting off prospective buyers and eventually the hoard can reach such a size that it becomes too big for the seller, their family and friends to deal with.

Help is at hand with a new industry of professional de-clutterers, who help to empty overcrowded homes of messy junk and preserve the objects that are of real value. Even non-hoarders need to remember that a super-minimalist look is essential when prospective buyers are visiting.

In the bathroom, bottles and jars, toothbrushes, soap, towels and children's bath toys need to be out of the way. In the kitchen all cutlery, crockery, pans, foodstuffs and implements should be out of sight. All the buyer needs to see is acres of clear space where they can see their own belongings going. Children's bedrooms are epicentres of mess and must be vigorously inspected prior to the visit.

Once this level of tidying had been done, everything from floor to ceiling needs to be dusted, polished, mopped and hoovered. Remember that the buyer will look at things that you barely notice in your own home. Grubby skirting boards, dusty curtain poles, scuff marks on the wall; all of these can easily fade into the background if we see them every day, but a fresh pair of eyes will pick them out.

If the prospect of this level of cleaning, de-cluttering and general finesse is daunting there is no shame in paying someone to do it for you. As mentioned before, professional services exist to deal with clutter and also to give your property a pre-sale deep clean.