How to Maximize Your Closet to Impress Buyers

Seeing a closet jam packed with clothes looks messy and chaotic leaving potential buyers thinking, “There’s not enough storage.”  

When you're trying to sell your home quickly and for top-dollar, the last thing you want is to deter buyers with a closet that doesn't look spacious or livable. This is especially critical if your home’s square footage is a selling challenge. But don't fret. Simple adjustments can maximize your closet to impress buyers in no time! Staging expert, Anne Nowak, knows just what to do.

Here are Anne's 10 tips for “showing” off your closet:

1. REDUCE! This is the single most important key in making closets appeal to buyers.  Weed out any items you haven’t worn in 6 months, pack seasonal items away in suitcases and banish to the attic or garage. Fold knit clothing, lounge and athletic wear, t-shirts and denim and place them in drawers. A good rule of thumb: reduce clothing volume by 25%.

2. LIMIT closet items to clothing, shoes and handbags.  Suitcases and other large bags take up too much real estate in closets so send them packing. ;) Place smaller handbags inside larger ones like Russian dolls to save space.

3. CLEAR the floor-completely! A clear floor space is relaxing to the eye and gives the illusion of space. Pick everything up off the floor including laundry baskets, scales, and any non-permanent storage systems (with the exception of a shoe rack). This is especially true when there are clothes hanging above, hanging clothes touching items on the floor look rumpled and untidy.

4. INVEST in a shoe rack if you don’t have one to pick shoes up off the floors. Store more pairs in less space by alternating the direction of each shoe (how they come in the shoebox).

5. ADD a full-length mirror to a larger, walk-in closet because it bounces light around the closet and gives the illusion of space.

6. USE cool, soft bulbs in your closet fixtures, especially if your closet lacks natural light. Yellow bulbs can make your closet look dingy or dull.

7. GET consistent slim hangers for uniformity. A sea of mismatched hangers is very distracting and cluttered.

8. PAINT it white. If it isn’t already, paint your closet shelving and walls white to brighten up the space, make you clothes pop and give the closet a bigger, newer appearance.

9. SHOW-OFF your shelves! If you are lucky enough to have built in closet shelving, show those babies off! Removing 25%-35% of all your shelf items (especially items that don’t fit neatly in the shelf boundary) sends a clear message: STORAGE!  As a general rule, create space to the left and right of each item on a shelf. Think of a display at Bloomingdale's and try to recreate this feeling in your own closet. Less is more. Remember, it isn’t forever and you have to pack it anyway!

10. SYSTEMIZE. Having a recognizable system makes clothes look consistent and luxurious. A simple way to start is by item or color. Push like items together and reserve some space between sections just like an upscale department store.