If you are about to downsize and have a garage then getting ready to move could feel like a nightmare! Very few of us these days actually use our garage to park our cars unless perhaps they are classic cars and are valuable. One reason is the size, cars have got bigger and if your property was built some time ago then the garage may no longer be large enough to house a car. Another reason is that we increasingly use the garage as storage. It may contain leisure equipment such as bikes, canoes, skis or tools or pieces of furniture. Very often “stuff” just gets dumped in there. However, a garage is a very valuable space not only for genuine storage but also because it can present an opportunity for conversion.
In this blog I want to offer advice how tackle what may have become a space that is full of clutter.
Getting Started
The objective is two fold. One, you want to demonstrate the available space. Two, you are reducing what needs to be moved this saving time and money with removal costs. There is another consideration here, if buyers view a garage which is full to the rafters they may worry that it might not all be removed on completion. As with any decluttering task sorting out a garage requires a bit of planning. When I last moved I began by taking everything out of the garage but you may prefer to deal with certain areas at a time. By doing this you see what you’ve got, very often you come across things that you have forgotten about.
What Do You Do With It?
Having removed everything from the garage (or a section of it) it’s time to assess what to do with it. This may be quite easy in case of say, bikes or gardening tools but, it may still be worth asking yourself the question whether you will use it. It could be time to acknowledge that you are no longer going to be using that piece of sports equipment that has been languishing. Similarly it may be a piece of furniture, some offcuts of wood etc that you have been holding onto on the off chance. I have three categories
- Dispose of
- Sell
- Keep
Dispose of means taking items to the tip or perhaps a charity shop. This includes old tins of paint although if you have done any recent decorating and the paint is still fresh then it may be helpful to the new owners and then same applies to extra tiles that have been left over. Sell could include a car boot or even a garage sale, an online portal or auction. Keep refers to those items that are definitely coming with you. It’s ok to have a “not sure” pile but make sure that you come back to it within a few days to make a final decision.
Styling For Sale
It may sound ridiculous to talk about styling a garage but trust me. I am not talking about styling in the same way as with the interior of your property but you do still need to think about the end result. I mentioned earlier about wanting to demonstrate to buyers the space available. This is particularly applicable if your garage is attached and ripe for conversion. So when you come to put things back then it needs to be neat and tidy. This also makes moving easier. Group things together such as sports equipment, garden tools, decorating equipment. Utilise shelving if you have it or even invest in some, it can come with you.
So get started, decide what to do with everything and replace what you are keeping in a tidy fashion. Overwhelmed by your garage? Call me on 07745 876182 or e mail me at judith@homestyle4u.com. I cover Wirral, Cheshire and the North West. Don’t Move Home Without Me!