Don't List Your House Without Depersonalizing First

When a house has been on the market for a period of three months, it’s time to look back and see what needs to be done to get the house sold. Most people at this point will consider a price drop, but this may not be your best option. If you have had multiple showings over the three months, the market is trying to tell you that you are priced right, people are interested from the outside and you need to look elsewhere. The cold hard truth is that your house isn’t showing well and Buyers can’t picture themselves inside of it. With a little bit of depersonalization you may be surprised with the results.
Depersonalization should be one of your first steps when preparing your house to sell.  Over the years, a home inevitably becomes covered with little things that have made it that special place for you.  At this point, however, you want buyers to recognize it as a property they could make into their unique place.  When a homebuyer walks into a room and sees these personalizing touches—such as photos on the walls or trophy collections—their ability to picture their own lives in this room is shook, weakening a positive emotional response. These are 3 most important things to remember when depersonalizing your home. 1.       Remove all the family photos, the trophies, collectible items, and souvenirs.  Pack them all together, so you’ll have everything you need at your disposal when it comes time to personalize your new home. For the time being, rent a storage space and keep these items there.  Do not simply transfer these items to another place in your house.  Do not hoard them away in a closet, basement, attic, or garage. The rented space will be worth the small amount of money spent to get your house sold. 2.       Most homes showcase some sort of personal collection. From the common doll or stuffed animal collection to the not so common dead animal heads or gun collections, they detract Buyer's attention. And many collections create a lot of visual clutter, especially in online photos. Hundreds of antique plates, figurines, ball caps or beer bottles lining shelves are distracting and need to be removed for now to highlight other features of the home.3.       Another often overlooked aspect of depersonalization is to remove any personal items that may be potentially controversial or politically, morally or socially incorrect. You will have a wide variety of people and personalities viewing your home online before deciding to go view your home in-person. You don't know what little thing might turn off a potential buyer, think inappropriate artwork or religious items. 

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