Basement - The Man Cave or Cave Man?

Here in Nebraska, a basement is a wonderful addition to our home.  When finished it adds so much square footage to our home without making the rest of the home seem crowded. If you've turned your basement into a "Man Cave", no problem.  BUT, if it looks like a "Cave Man" lives there.....not so much.  Even if the basement is unfinished, it needs to be organized.

1.  If you have a finished basement and it's a "Man Cave", make sure it's neat and clean and not over done.  Too many things on the walls or memorabilia displayed is confusing to the eye.  You don't know where to look and Buyers will spend more time looking at your stuff then they will seeing the attributes of your basement.  Start packing up some of treasures and put them into storage for your move.  Remember, "Less is more", and in this case.....nothing could be truer.

2.  Is your basement unfinished?  Ahhhhh......you're not off the hook.  It still needs to be organized.  Buyers want to be able to walk around your basement and see what kind of space is there.  In an organized basement, your Buyer can even start to imagine what they might do to that space should they decide to buy your home.  But they won't if they can't get through the mess and are distracted by the clutter.

3.  If you have a sump pump in your basement, make sure it is in good working order.  It's hard to sell a house with a leaky basement.

When staging your home for the market, don't forget the basement.