<p>We are starting the prep to get our house on the market. My target date is Oct 1 or sooner. </p>
<p>We rented a storage space so we can put things there so the closets won’t look jammed to the rafters and rooms won’t have too much furniture (I think our home must be known as a kind of sanctuary for side tables, because we have way too many for a normal living room). </p>
<p>We have the painters in now doing the stairwell which has its share of handprints and chips. The hard part is sorting through 15+ years of accumulated possessions. Last time we did this, the kids were 3 and 3 months, so they didn’t have that much stuff and the things they were really attached to could fit in one box. Now I feel like I can’t throw anything away without hearing them say “but I loved that shirt!” </p>
<p>Anyone have any tips on getting them to declutter? I think I’m going to end up paying to store things I could have tossed.</p>
<p>Rather than have them decide what to throw out, have them decide what to keep. Then, once they’ve done that, you’ve got carte blanche to get rid of everything else.</p>
<p>Good luck on getting the house ready. It took us a long time.</p>
<p>Classof2015 - agree with veryhappy. When my parents downsized, they gave my brother and me one large plastic bin each and said “we can keep this much of your stuff with us. You must take anything else to your own apartments or it will be donated/tossed.” They gave us a long lead time. Both brother and I were moving around and/or in teeny apts., so we were quite ruthless in the culling. </p>
<p>In about a month, the market has turned from extreme buyer market to extreme seller market here (upper Midwest). Neighbor listed home last week and there are multiple showings every day. Nice neighborhood and clean home, but it has original (30 year) bathrooms and is pretty “cookie cutter.” Two months ago, another very similar neighborhood home went for a frighteningly low price after a long time on the market!</p>
<p>My sister has had her house on the market in Westchester County all summer. She is at the low end of her market (930K is the asking price) but her kitchen is problematic. It’s never been updated since she moved in. House was built in the 1920’s and kitchen had makeover probably in the '70’s. She just pulled it off the market after 2 months and is going to do an inexpensive $10K fix-up. The rest of her house has been done but bad kitchen is a killer.</p>
<p>^that would be us. Kitchen was done, cheaply, in the '80s, and we could never afford to remodel. I just figured we would ask $50k-$100K less for the house because our buyer would have to redo it. emilybee – do you think she priced it right at $930K? I know you said she’s at the low end, but maybe it’s not low enough. But if the renovation makes it look better, maybe she’ll get her price. Good luck to her. </p>
<p>momof2kids, veryhappy – thanks for those ideas. That’s a better way to approach it.</p>
<p>co2015
If the house is vacant, I think it will be better if you renovate the kitchen for sale, rather to show an old kitchen and asking $50-100K below the market. At least you can claim its a new kitchen. However, if the house is occupied by you, it will create a havoc and very disruptive, so perhaps your strategy will work.</p>
<p>“do you think she priced it right at $930K? I know you said she’s at the low end, but maybe it’s not low enough. But if the renovation makes it look better, maybe she’ll get her price. Good luck to her.”</p>
<p>Yes, I do. According to her RE agent everyone loves the house but the kitchen, which is small, too, besides being outdated. She told them people want at least a kitchen they can live with before they do what they really want - which in her neck of the woods is typically a $200K+ and in her house would include knocking out back wall and doing addition to make it bigger. She once told me that she couldn’t do the kitchen she wanted for less than $400K, and had plans but divorce got in the way, and she wasn’t going to settle, so never did anything to make it half way decent. I always thought she could have done something for a lot less and she doesn’t even cook, fgs.</p>
<p>Wow – $200k to $400K for a kitchen! But I can see how it would add up if it includes knocking out walls and doing major construction. I really hope it moves once she’s done the renovation. Maybe it will give buyers an idea of what it could be like.</p>
<p>artloversplus – good point – but we are living in it now. I think I just have to accept it as a liability and price it accordingly.</p>
<p>“Maybe it will give buyers an idea of what it could be like.”</p>
<p>I don’t think so. I think they will look at it and think they can at least live with it the way it is until they can afford to gut the thing and do an addition.</p>
<p>She is doing it through Home Depot (I don’t think she has ever even been in a Home Depot before!) Granite counter tops and back splash. I’m sure there is more but she had to hang up before she could finish telling me as the dog had gotten into a package with meds that had been delivered.</p>
<p>why can’t your friend just to update the kitchen, however small it is and get over the hump of selling?</p>
<p>I did a 15 linear feet kitchen for less than $5,000, of course it is not fancy, with used appliances, but it does have new granite counter and cherry cabinets. Moreover, it is for rental. However, you can re-do a kitchen without expansion for much less than 200k.</p>
<p>Sorry, I meant that since the buyers did not like the kitchen, a simple update will put the buyers at ease to buy the property so to get over the hump of not be able to sell.</p>
<p>I suppose Westchester is still in the buyer’s market? In California hot areas, an outdated kitchen will be looked upon as an opportunity, not a show stopper.</p>
<p>“Sorry, I meant that since the buyers did not like the kitchen, a simple update will put the buyers at ease to buy the property so to get over the hump of not be able to sell.”</p>
<p>That is what she is doing. </p>
<p>The homes in her town barely had a blimp during the housing crisis and I believe sellers generally haven’t had any problems. It’s her kitchen which is very small and awkward layout and anyone who would remodel would want to do a complete gut with an addition. And since she is at the bottom of the market these would be first time home buyers.</p>
<p>Classof2015…I haven’t read any of the thousands of posts on this thread but did open up today’s new posts, because, I am prepping my own house for sale as well. I’ve had contractors do the minimum repairs and updates without going crazy (like no new kitchen, etc.). But the HUGE job that remains is decluttering. You mention 15 years’ worth of possessions. In my case, it is 36 years’ worth of marriage and two kids. The amount of stuff is enormous and going through it is such an overwhelming task. I have had an empty nest for 8 years. My kids live out of state and are not available to help. So, I have hired a young adult to help me each day to declutter and organize, first all the living areas of the house. We are making headway but have a long way to go. But an even bigger task is my full walkout basement which is full. And even now, I keep moving things we eliminate down to there. I have so much stuff…for example, 18 years’ worth of clothing for two daughters, all their toys and books, and everything my husband and I have had for 36 years. So, I’m with ya on this! (meanwhile, my walk in bedroom closet has a new life!! :D)</p>
<p>Not huge (2100 sq. ft) and not falling apart, except the kitchen. She is including landscaper, house cleaning (2xweek), heating, electric, plus her mortgage and prop.taxes (17K/yr)</p>
<p>Yes, she does have the plans. And because it’s my sister, who is a snob, she had to have the best - an architect who was the subject of a cover story on NYT Sunday magazine.</p>
<p>Sorry, but a 2100 sq ft house that costs $180,000 per year to “run” even including a mortgage and $17k property taxes, does not compute, nor does a $400k kitchen renovation for said house.</p>
<p>^^^^^I’m trying to envision what a $400k kitchen remodel even looks like. Even if you buy really high end appliances, custom cabinets, etc., I just cannot imagine.</p>
<p>That said, there is a show on HGTV called *Million Dollar Rooms *, so I guess it’s possible.</p>