UK homeowners get ruthless with their clutter to stimulate house sales

27th May 2009

UK homeowners looking to sell are embarking on a Spring-cleaning and storage drive to improve the saleability of their homes, according to the UK’s largest privately owned removals firm Bishop’s Move. While many are using it as means to offset the costs of the move itself, others are getting creative with their approach to storage space.

Bishop’s Move has recorded a 35 per cent rise in the last six months of customers using their extensive storage facilities as a ‘holding bay’ for their possessions during the sale process, as they declutter to make their homes seem both more spacious and to limit the potential of ‘buyer turn-off’ endangering the deal.

Nigel Bishop, Manager Director of Bishop’s Move, comments: “There is no doubt that the housing market is slowing, but sellers can improve their chances of a deal by giving their Spring clean more purpose this year and decluttering.

“We are finding that customers are storing everything from treasured possessions to out of season clothing with us to encourage buyers see their property’s potential. It’s the ideal option if you can’t bear to part with anything.”

A declutter can also offset some of the costs of moving. According to research conducted last year*, each home in the UK is cluttered up with an average of £2,500 worth of unwanted and unused bric-a-brac. It is estimated** that the May Bank Holiday Weekend saw upwards of 2,000 car boot sales taking place nationally – with bargain hunters blowing more than a billion pounds on hidden gems dug out from lofts, cupboards and sheds. Combined with the plethora of online sales sites, there are more options for the canny homeowner than ever before.

Mr Bishop continues: “For the less sentimental, gathering your unwanted belongings and selling them online or at a local car boot sale can give decluttering some focus. It is a great way to make back some of the costs of the sale – or raise money towards something for the new house.”

UK house prices are expected to fall by 20 per cent in the next two years, meaning that enhancing the saleability of a property through whatever means necessary before that drop really bites has a even greater urgency than ever.

Bishop’s Move is urging sellers to follow a selection of top tips to ensure their de-cluttering efforts do not go to waste:

Declutter one room at a time, including all of the cupboards, cabinets and drawers in it before moving on to the next. Being able to see what can be achieved with one room and a bit of effort will motivate you to start the next.
Grab three bags and label them ‘Keep’, ‘Sell’ and ‘Throw Away’, and categorise the room’s content accordingly. Ideally, by the end of the process, the latter two bags will each be at least double the size of that holding the items you want to keep.
Rules to determine what should go in each bag can loosely be given as: If it’s broken, throw away; if it’s whole but hasn’t been used for six months, sell it and everything else can be kept.
Start in the corner of the room and move around clockwise, clearing surfaces and the floor. Then repeat, this time going through cupboards and other storage areas.
Uncertain about anything? Place it all in a box and tape it closed. If the box has not been opened a year later, the contents are not needed. Or, have a trusted friend or relative go through the pile and help make the decision – they will be less sentimental.
When the process is finished, each room should reflect its purpose to prospective buyers – rather than a collection of storerooms.
From now one, abide by the ‘one in, two out rule’. Each time you buy something new for the house, you have to dispose of, sell or donate two others. It will prevent the build up of clutter again in the future.