10 Items To Pack Before the 1st Showing
We all think about listing our house, right? It’s the middle of winter and we have spent the month of January and February binging DIY shows. We start to think maybe it is time to downsize or move to a golf community with no snow. Or maybe just live in a Hallmark setting neighborhood with a main street within walking distance.
Or, maybe you want to move to the city with an elevator and a parking garage. I get these calls from clients who just want to talk through a potential move. And, often that talk ends with my suggestion to pack these ten items before the first showing.
And if my clients decide not to move- this list of ten things to pack works if you want to donate or have a garage sale.
And if potential sellers decide not to move, these ten items are packed and ready to donate.
When my sellers get an offer (and go under contract) they never say, “I am so glad we didn’t pack up our puzzles, books, and wedding dishes before we listed our home.” Never.
10 ITEMS TO PACK BEFORE YOU LIST YOUR HOUSE
Whatever your plans may be, here is a list of things to pack before the first showing. And, the best part of this list; id a reminder to re-evaluate and ask the questions:
Do we need games with missing game pieces?
Will, I read my American History textbook from my freshman year in college?
There are many reasons to pack everyday items before listing your home. I remind my sellers that buyers want to visualize themselves in the seller’s home.
Potential buyers do not want to see 12 years of accumulated games, books and personal hygiene products in their future home.
REASONS TO PACK BEFORE YOU LIST
One of the biggest mistakes sellers and listing agents make is in the excitement of getting the house on the market, the home likely needs two more rounds of the “pack & stack” method.
The pack & stack method is my version of Marie Kondo’s method.
A few additional days of prep gives the sellers the time to make arrangements to haul out the big stuff.
This process makes rooms appear larger and cleaner. Here is a list of items I recommend to my clients to pack before the home is listed.
10 Items to Pack Before the 1st Showing
This list works to organize the clutter for a future list date too. No pressure.
1. Books
Books can be a distraction in home offices. Buyers start to look at the jacket titles and all of a sudden they are more curious about the homeowners than the house.
Books in kids’ rooms get confused with clutter when a buyer’s eye scans the room.
2. Trophies
Like books, trophies, are distractions. They inadvertently tell a story about the current family. The goal is for the buyers to create their own stories of their (your) home.
And, just like books, trophies scream clutter.
3. Barware & Serving Pieces
Unless you are selling your home during the holidays, go ahead and pack the majority of barware and serving trays. It is a good time to sort through the red and white wine glasses and those 1999 wine glasses with chunky stems.
4. Linens & Closets
Storage is a big deal for most buyers and a stuffed linen closet in a small home is a visual that buyers remember.
Organized, lean stacks of linens and empty cabinets give buyers a chance to envision their own stuff in those same closets. I purchased these clear bags for my extra sheets, linens, blankets and throws.
I think we all underestimate how many linens, towels, sheets and throws we have stashed in our closets. These bags are great if you have different size mattresses too and just want to organize your linens by bed size.
And, yes buyers open closets and cabinet doors and refrigerators.
5. Toys & Games
See items 1 & 2. Toys & Games are rarely neatly stacked on a bookcase. Usually, there are smashed covers, random cards and dice that are buried in the carpet. Put aside a few favorites (in a neat closet) and either donate or pack and stack.
6. HOLIDAY + SEASONAL DECOR
If you are listing your home in April, the goal is to be under contract before Memorial Day. So if you are selling in April and your listing price matches the similar sold numbers you will be out of your current home before the 4th of July (depending on the market you could be out Memorial Day weekend).
So pack & stack the pumpkins, the flocked Christmas trees and the Thanksgiving theme plates and linens.
7. Seasonal Clothes
They say, okay I say, a closet is a peek into a person’s state of mind! Ha!
You should see my closet right now. It drives my husband nuts.
Wardrobe boxes make it easy to hang clothes and store them in the garage. Of course, it makes sense to hold onto a jacket or puffy vest, but you may not need the snow boots in June. Of course, in Colorado, it is not unusual to get snow above 9000 ft. in July.
8. Paper & Junk Drawers
I have an entire cabinet of greeting cards, stationery, thank-you notes and Christmas cards. If a buyer opens a cabinet in an office, and you should assume they will, you do not want the contents of an entire shelf to slide onto the floor. Store them in plastic Ziploc bags or donate them.
Along this same line are the endless crayons, markers, pens pencils, staples, erasers, and notepads. I have a zillion staples and no longer use a stapler.
It will make your drawers appear larger and your home will feel neater.
9. Candles, Vases, Accessories
I have an entire cabinet for new and slightly used candles. I have a cabinet filled with 8oz mason jars from the one year I made strawberry jam. If you are getting ready for a move, chances are you will not make preserves six weeks before you move to a new home or a rental property.
10. Toiletries & Meds
One of the things I tell sellers to get out of sight (and pack) is unnecessary toiletries. Buyers do not want to see a homeowner’s morning routine. Pack up the travel-size soaps and shampoos, the 11 bottles of nail polish and the Costco 2-pack of Pantene Shampoo/Conditioner.
And, please pack up the bathroom rugs. If you need one for safety reasons just make sure to store it under the sink during showings. There is something about seeing wet footprints on a bathroom mat that unnerves me.
An entry door mat or rug is fine, but keep bathroom details out of site/sight.
The goal is to make your house shine and to remove your “footprint” from the home. And, guess what happens?
Sellers get excited and motivated to sell. Cleaning, packing and stacking boxes is a great way to get the entire family involved. Let the kids decide what toys must stay on the beds and what games can be boxed or donated.
Yes, there are exceptions to all these things and there are birthday parties and Mother’s Day brunches during listings.
But I suggest sellers pack for the rule; not the exception.
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Laura you are so right! Before we listed our house late December 2023 our agent suggested we take out a massive bookcase in our living room that made the room look smaller than it was, along with that came everything on this bookcase, 95% of it I donated to the Goodwill. We methodically went through every room in our home, then our back yard, needless to say we had a lot to donate. So glad we did, it actually felt like the Swedish Death Cleaning. It feels so good to not have ” stuff” to pack and pay for cross country shipping, that could be easily replaced at a fraction of the cost.
Hi Ella, Thanks for sharing your story! Yes when sellers rush to get their home on the market it costs them more to store and sort it later and/or ship it and do the same.
Thanks for stopping by today!
These are all great tips!
Thank you, Heather! And, they work for spring cleaning too!