In order to sell your house faster, you know you need to make some changes. If you are an adult child who is worried about their aging parents keeping up with their current home, you may have to think about helping them sell their home. This can be a challenge for adult children because not only do you have to take care of your own kids, you now have to think about your parents. Some aging seniors can and want to live in their current home but others may not have the choice. That is why I wanted to share three things your aging parents can do to help sell your home faster.
Remove all family photos
This is done when you know you are going to sell your parent’s house faster. If your mom or dad have already been moved, you probably have already taken some photos with them to their new location. If they are still active seniors and want to downsize, then start putting away all the family photos on the walls, mantle, sofa table, etc. They need to come down in order for buyers to imagine themselves living in there. They don’t want to see who is currently living in there and their 30 grandkids. This is an easy no-cost step your aging parents can do to help sell your home faster.
Using the picture to the right as an example, all of those photos should be removed at the end of the hallway. You don’t have to really hang anything in a hallway. If you want to, you can hang a large canvas piece of artwork with a landscape or abstract piece.
Removing half the items in the china hutch
The Baby Boomer generation is known to entertain their guests and LOVE using their formal dining room. They probably have a very full china hutch with all the crystal and dinnerware gathering dust. At this point in time, the aging parents should think about what they will take with them to their new home. The rest needs to be donated, sold or given to an adult child who wants it.
My parents have a VERY full china hutch and they have fancy dishes, gravy boats, crystal glasses and more. I know I don’t want any of their china because I have my set. I also have a different dinner style and don’t have room in my house for more. It’s not meant to be disrespectful but I really don’t need it.
By removing half of the items in the china hutch, you can still show off the nicer pieces without the cluttered look. By jamming all those pieces in there, it creates clutter and looks like there isn’t enough storage for everything. All of it is just gathering dust anyway.
Remove all the items from the kitchen counters
When you have every inch of your kitchen counters covered in decorative bowls, small appliances and food, you can’t see the beautiful counters underneath. There should only be a coffee pot and maybe some cooking utensils in a holder by the stove. The counters need to be cleared off. You can feel free to add a bowl of fruit to a kitchen island but the counters need to be cleared of bills, groceries and other clutter.
In the picture to the right, the owners were cleaning out their pantry but even so, they still had a dish drying rack (which should be put away), a rice cooker, some utensils and spices.
Decluttering will help you sell your house faster because buyers can’t see beyond the excess. They want a move-in ready house and all the clutter is distracting plus it makes the house feel smaller. Get rid of the clutter on the counters to sell your house faster.
These are just 3 easy things that aging seniors can do to get started on preparing their house to sell. If they are downsizing, this is a great way to get started to figure out what they REALLY need in their next home. If you are an adult child and need to sell your parent’s home, this is a great way to get them involved in the process so they can be part of the solution versus you telling them what to do. My free ebook, 10 Things Every Homeowner Should Do before Selling Their Home, is another resource you can use to get started. If you need help getting your home ready to sell, feel free to contact me so I can help you sell your home faster.
Staging advice for 1 room
Need staging advice for one room? Check out my Staging Snapshot Service to help you get your awkward room ready for pictures.
Whole house staging
Need staging advice for the whole house? This consult is done all online as we “walk through” your home and decide what needs to be rearranged, removed or added to get your home ready for pictures.