One of the major reasons people use self-storage is when moving home. Often, when you want to start marketing your property it pays to have a de-cluttering blitz to ensure that you are showing your property in its best light. Few of us manage to live our day to day lives in a state of ordered, minimalist calm and we quite often have possessions which we are loathe to get rid of entirely (they may come in hand one day – right?), but we don’t need or use on a day to day basis. These kinds of things can make our homes appear over full and that does not give a good impression to prospective buyers.
If your home storage areas look out of control potential buyer will assume that your house does not function well and that could be enough to put buyers off. Temporary self storage is a good option if you want to get stuff out of the way without having to get rid of it permanently.
First impressions count
Whilst it is a bit of a cliché, it is a fact that your entrance and hallway will make an immediate impression on potential buyers. You need to make sure that the impression it gives is of a space which is ordered and large enough. Packing away out of season coats and shoes from cloakroom and hallway areas is a good place to start. When storing clothes and shoes in self storage facilities, keep them well ventilated to avoid mould. You can find more tips for packing for self storage here.
Audit your living spaces
Groaning bookshelves, stacks of magazines, an impressive collection of vinyl? Consider having a thinning sessions on these kind of items in your main living space as well as decorative objects. When viewing properties, one of the main things prospective purchasers need to be able to do if imagine themselves living there. Excessive personal items make that more difficult. It may be that your furniture is making your living areas look smaller, think about if there are items of furniture you could do without temporarily to create a greater feeling of space. As a rule, the more floor you can see the better!
Kitchens sell houses!
Or not… If you are a keen cook, or a sucker for a gadget, you may find that your kitchen is overflowing with tools and appliances which you use infrequently. Things like soup makers, electric grills, cupcake makers and egg poachers all take up valuable worktop space and could easily be boxed up and shipped out to storage whilst you market your property. Kitchens often also store things like cool boxes and picnic gear or special occasion/seasonal crockery etc. You know what to do!
Kids Rooms
Kids rooms are often the most challenging of spaces to keep clear of clutter. Mountains of teddies and soft toys, books, lego, play-sets – it is a minimalist’s nightmare! It may well be a good time to look at getting rid of toys which have been outgrown or don’t get played with. Apart from absolute confirmed favourites, with children’s toys it is often a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Boxing up stuff for storing may be best done when they are not in though!
Crafters and hobbyists
Be realistic about your ongoing projects and whether you currently have time to work on them. Is your sewing basket overflowing the clothes which you need to mend or refashion? Are you a hoarder of fabric or yarn? If you have a dedicated space for hobbies and craft with well ordered storage, this could be an attractive selling point for some. If, more realistically, your hobby space is squeezed into the corner of a bedroom or dining room, it is more likely to be off-putting. Well defined spaces are a key benefit when selling a property – rooms which are neither one thing or another though, are confusing for buyers. Unless you make your living from making things, it is probably a good idea to pack away as much as you can and clearly defining your rooms. Most self storage facilities offer easy access so, provided you have you stuff well packed and labelled you should be able to get back anything which you find you need.
Make sure also that you think about the full replacement value of the items you are storing and take out an adequate amount of storage insurance, separate from your contents insurance. Making an inventory of your stored items will help here. Storage Insurance from Store Insure is available from just one month with a minimum insured value of £2000.00, costing as little as £5.00 per month. For more information about our cover – see our policy information, or click here to get an instant quote.