A Word About Closets When Preparing to Sell

Some stagers recommend to us that our clients clean out all of their closets and cabinets on the off-chance a buyer looks through them. We think this is a good idea, but a bit over the top. We have no expectation that a seller needs to get this done. 

Our team focuses on priority transformations, and not driving you crazy with a lot more work. Ideally, since you will be packing things away anyway, you can take a closet at a time and weed out anything that hasn’t been used in four months and leave it at that.

The Owner’s Suite Is An Exception

With that said, the owner’s suite closet is the exception to this rule. This is an area that homebuyers pry into, so it’s a good idea to make it appear spacious, neat and organized. The more anal the seller appears to be, the more homebuyers will view the house as “taken care of.” Below is a step-by-step checklist for attacking master bedroom closets:

• Pack away anything not used or worn in four months. For most of us, it’s about 80% of our wardrobe. Think ahead in terms of weather and special events, but overall, this should not be hard to do. 
• Group by item starting with shirts, blouses, jackets, skirts and lastly pants. (In a walk-in closet, pants should be in the back.) Within each item category, arrange by color Make sure each item is facing the same direction (away from the door).
• Organize shoes, preferably in a rack on the floor.
• Clear off and pack away anything on the top of the closet shelf.
• Organize any “loose” items such as belts and scarves in matching boxes or baskets on the top of the closet.
• Consider buying inexpensive hat boxes for hats (a little drama).
• Consider buying wooden hangers OR matching hangers.
• Consider buying a closet organizer, which can be very appealing to homebuyers (Target has these now).
• Finally, since closets usually don’t have any natural light, make sure that artificial light is extra bright by replacing the bulbs and cleaning the fixtures.