KonMari® Tidying Before Selling & Moving Homes
Making a home sale-worthy is one of the toughest challenges homeowners face. Coupled with the process of looking for a new place along with packing, clearing clutter from visible spaces to be ready for potential buyers to view can be emotionally daunting. First impressions matter so it makes sense to not only make your home beautiful inside out but to also make packing and unpacking in your new home easy and efficient.
Luckily, the revolutionary decluttering method created by Japanese tidying guru Marie Kondo is intuitive and simple to implement. It helps to remove the unnecessary items in your home that no longer serve you (aka clutter) and find intuitive homes for your belongings (when messes are created) that are easy to put away when needed.
Tidying up could not only lead to more interested buyers but could also potentially raise your asking price. If your agent calls you for a viewing, you can easily tidy up the last few items that are out and welcome potential buyers at a moment’s notice.
It’s ALWAYS a good idea to declutter and tidy before you move. If you have 6 months to a year before you plan to list your home for sale, use pockets of time every week to simplify your belongings to make the buyer’s journey as well as your own packing and moving a whole lot easier.
Here are 4 steps inspired by the KonMari® Tidying Method to make your move, your home ready for a sale, and unexpected visits by potential buyers less stressful and more joyful!
1. ENVISION YOUR NEW HOME
“Visualizing will crystalize what sparks joy for you – you’ll feel a profound sense of connection to your new home before you even move in”
Having clarity in what your new home looks like down to the nitty-gritties like the number of rooms, and the feeling of enjoying the activities in each space will attract those homes to come into your radar when you’re ready to purchase.
Not only that, but you can also visualise what kind of buyers you want who are aligned with your values. You’ll feel comforted knowing that your current beloved home will be taken care of and well-loved again just like you did! Create a vision board (like I did), journal down your new home desires, or even paint it! The possibilities are endless.
2. TIDY YOUR CURRENT HOME
“Remember, tidying up isn’t about getting rid of stuff. It is about creating an environment that sparks joy and improves your quality of life.”
Before you start decluttering, take photos of all the spaces in your home. Photographs not only show you your home with a fresh perspective but also serve as a motivational tool to progress in your tidying project. You will love comparing your ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos and feel proud of your efforts. Your ‘after’ photos will also be appreciated immensely by your agent when listing your home online for potential buyers to check out.
The KonMari® Tidying Method encourages tidying by category – not by location – beginning with clothes, then moving on to books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items), and, finally, sentimental items. It is a method that is meant to be introspective and helps you understand what items are needed to align with your current lifestyle. Tidying categorically rather than by room, helps you get a birds-eye view of how many items in each category you have. You can then make an informed decision about what to keep and what to donate/discard. This process makes packing and unpacking so much easier!
Keep only those items that you enjoy using (rather than what to throw away) and what your current spatial boundaries can manage. Do not be too concerned about your new home storage spaces. Your belongings are meant to serve you well in your current phase of life. Without any attachment to the past or worry about the future, confidently assess what needs to be in your home and use them with the respect that they deserve!
When staging your home for new buyers, remember to keep neutral, timeless, and generic art and décor on display. Pack away photographs or anything too personal so it is easier for buyers to imagine themselves living in the space.
Remember to keep your countertops and open shelving as clutter-free as possible. If you need to enlist the help of a friend who has an eye for home styling, now may be a good time to ask for it!
3. CLEAN YOUR HOME
“Cleaning is not the same as tidying – only after you finish addressing your belongings using the KonMari® Method can you start to clean your home. Tidying is the act of confronting yourself and your belongings – cleaning is the act of confronting dirt. If you don’t tidy first, your house will never be truly clean – no matter how hard you scrub!”
Most people have a misconception that cleaning is the same as tidying. When you have lesser stuff, it is easier to manage and maintain. Trust me on this! Doing a quick vacuum or dusting before buyers visit you will help to make your home feel more welcoming.
4. LET GO WITH GRATITUDE
Look at what items didn’t make the cut when packing away in boxes provided by the movers and don’t just take them to a donation center. See what you can learn from them like purchasing mistakes, misalignment with lifestyle choices or simply thanking them for serving you well when you did have them in your home. Gratitude is one of the tenets of the KonMari® Method and thanking your current home and its belongings (including those that are making their way out!) will also prepare it for serving the next inhabitants.
I trust these tips helped you gain clarity in simplifying not only your current home for potential buyers to gain interest in but also living your life with joyful intention! I’ve also written a blog post for an interior design firm where I share the importance of decluttering using the KonMari® Method before renovating your home. Do leave your comments below, I love reading them!