Selling Your Home for Top Dollar – Part 6
Storage is a True Luxury
Let’s be honest. We could all live in homes far smaller than today’s average. Just take a look at any Pre-war home and know that there were likely 3-4 kids in those families. Why we want and need bigger homes today is for our STUFF. Our wardrobes, hobbies and activities have exploded over the decades and our perennial problem is where to put it all.
Tackling storage issues now is well worth the effort since it will dramatically increase how you live and enjoy your home now, and it will make the buyers go GA-GA when you are ready to sell.
Rule 1:
You can never have too much storage space
Rule 2:
Your possessions must fit within the storage space you have….i.e.: you will probably have to purge at least a little, even after you add in all of this amazing storage.
Now that selling is on the horizon, price point and style should be at the forefront. Buyers will not pay you directly for money you spend on storage, so it’s better to invest in storage items you can take with you as opposed to built-ins. Style does count, so no matter how tempting it is to by the $5 bookshelf off Kijiji, resist the urge because it won’t help you in the end.
If you have serious stuff to hide, you don’t need open shelves, you need doors to hide it all behind. Open shelves are for pretty display items only, because otherwise they look messy and cluttered no matter what you do.
The other consideration is to keep as much floor space open as possible, so go vertical with your storage. Instead of scattering random units all around, pick 1 wall, 1 style of unit and go wall to wall. This is a cleaner, more built-in look that will offer tons of storage and you can still take it with you. And sometimes, the buyers ask to buy it from you. Win-Win!
IKEA, IKEA and More IKEA
I am no way affiliated with them, but I have to admit that IKEA is the hands down, universal winner for storage units that are both economical and stylish. No matter what your style; country, modern, transitional, IKEA has a unit that will work.
Always try to mix both open and closed storage, so that these vertical units don’t look so heavy and opposing. 1/2 to 2/3rds should be solid doors to hide all your messy stuff and the rest can be glass doors or no doors to dress with “pretty” stuff for style: vases, greenery, clocks, etc.
Another trick to get big storage without the feeling of being closed in is to choose white. It adds to the built-in feel because it’s the same colour as your trim work. White is a great colour for staging; It’s light, bright and fresh.
Add storage on any continuous wall that does not block traffic flow, and every house is different. For comfortable walking space you want at least 40”, so subtract that from any area you are considering. Then you will know if you can fit a 15”, 18” or 24” deep unit.
In most houses, you can use the TV wall. So ditch the dinky tv stand and go wall to wall with the tv in the middle.
Another great spot is the dining room or eat-in area of a kitchen. Again, only if you have ample walking room, never cram it in.
If you don’t have walk in closets, buyers will appreciate a wall of cabinets…they just might ask to buy them from you! Wardrobes will be 24” deep so make sure you can walk around the bed with ease. Perhaps even pick the far wall or window wall and flank the window.
