The Top 4 Places to Declutter Before You Put Your House on the Market

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.

Home staging usually brings to mind paint, throw pillows, and furniture swaps, but according to a May report by the National Association of Realtors, none of those updates are realtors’ number-one home improvement recommendation for sellers. The most common to-do that realtors suggest—a whopping 91 percent of them—is to simply declutter. Too good to be true? We asked Kelly Lombardi and Bonne Ramsey, principals of the award-winning Tandem Real Estate Group in Essex County, New Jersey, to give us the inside scoop.

To start, the duo, who stage the vast majority of their listings, have seen home staging pay off time and time again. “I think there’s a subconscious impact on the dollar amount and level of enthusiasm with which a buyer will submit an offer,” says Lombardi. “We go into homes and we see them in their natural state and we feel one feeling, then we go in them months later, when they’re staged, and we feel another feeling.” And yes, they wholeheartedly agree that shift begins with something as simple as tidying up.

“You’re trying to curate an aspirational lifestyle,” Lombardi explains. Here are the top places she and Ramsey always ask homeowners to declutter before showings:

The Pantry

Imagine Martha Stewart’s pantry; that’s your north star. Think: labeled bins, dry goods decanted into glass canisters, and juice boxes lined up in neat rows. The effect? “A buyer will think, ‘Oh my gosh, when I live in this house, I’m going to be so organized,” says Lombardi. Plus, Ramsey notes, it can have a halo effect: “We often hear buyers remark on how meticulously sellers have organized their closets or their pantry. That attention to detail sends a message that the home has been well maintained overall.”

The Kitchen Countertops

Your beloved toaster oven? Hide it away for now, along with any other small appliances like blenders and air fryers. The same goes for your dish rack or an overflowing crock of cooking utensils. Put everything in bins in your garage, or even your car trunk in a pinch. “It’s about simplicity and cleanliness,” says Lombardi. One or two aesthetically-pleasing items—a pretty coffee pot, a classic KitchenAid stand mixer, a couple of cookbooks—is plenty. 

The Closets

Embrace your inner minimalist—momentarily, at least. “You don’t want it to look like you’ve used up all the storage and it’s bursting at the seams,” says Ramsey. “So instead of 50 coats in a closet, you may want 12. You should pick things up off the floor so it doesn’t look like you’re jamming things in.” Corral smaller items, like mittens or hats, in baskets.

The Storage Spaces

We’re talking clutter-attracting garages, basements, and attics. “If a garage is full of people’s stuff, I always say, ‘Of course it is, they’re moving, they’re packing,’” says Bonnie. “But the tidier, the better.” An orderly stack of lidded bins pushed into one corner goes a long way.

Plus One Area Not to Worry About

“No one should be going through the drawers of your dresser because it’s furniture that’s not going to stay with the house,” Lombardi says. Anything that’s not built in—nightstands, armoires, credenzas—is in the clear.