In case you haven’t heard this from us already, your kitchen can work miracles in the selling of your home. We talk a lot about kitchens here for that reason. When you are preparing to sell, you know that the way you present your home can give you a distinct advantage styling creating an irresistible connection between the house and the prospective buyers. We also mention from time to time that certain silent messages can be integrated into the way your kitchen is organised and these messages can make your buyer sit up and pay attention.

When buyers inspect your home, they’re looking for so much more than a certain number of bedrooms and bathrooms. They are actually taking steps to improve, not only where they live, but also how they live.
Because the kitchen has long been seen as the heart of the home, buyers are seeking something special here. It can be sleek and shiny new appliances or granite benchtops, both of which signal success to the rest of the world. The new kitchen may be the place where the buyers want to implement a new and organised way of living that goes along with their new successful lifestyle. In their minds, they may want a kitchen that lacks the clutter and chaos that has crept into their own galley.

The pantry, however small, can be a shining example of how organised kitchens, (and organised people), manage to stay afloat. When buyers open a pantry door and see a tidy, organised space they get excited. They may not whoop and cheer, but they will recognise this element as one they are looking for. Here, at last, is the way they want their pantry to look.

So, yes. Even your pantry should be carefully styled before you list your home for sale.
Here is a short list of ways you can corral the usual pantry clutter and inspire prospective buyers.
• Declutter this space as carefully as you do the remainder of the house. Remove the foods that have been stored there for a long period of time. Toss the old snacks and check all packaged foods for expiration dates.

• Remove everything and give the pantry a good scrubbing from top to bottom.

• Sort all pantry items into categories – pasta, staples like flour and sugar, baking mixes, salad dressings, coffee, tea, spices, canned goods, etc.

• Take a trip to your local bargain store and invest in see-through plastic containers or bins that are large enough to hold your boxes of spaghetti, linguini and lasagna. Put snacks for the kids or items for which they will be searching in bins or washable containers placed down low enough for them to be easily seen and grabbed. (This aids with maintenance – if the items can be found, your pantry won’t suffer from being torn apart in the search.)

• While you are investing, consider other organisational options such as small baskets that can be mounted on the inside of your pantry door. By using this otherwise wasted vertical space, you can create a perfect spice rack where items are stored in plain sight so you can see and grab them easily when necessary.

There are other organisational tools as well, from can racks to lazy Susans that can keep items like sprinkles and chocolate chips where you can see them, making your pantry shine and your grocery shopping trips more effective.

• Put dry cereal, along with other grains and rice, into pourable containers to prevent spills later.

• Assign each shelf a category or two and put things away in an orderly fashion. For example, put all your vinegars and oils near the salad dressings and items such as croutons. Make it logical – keep in mind the way items are arranged in your local supermarket.

• We suggest that you keep the advantage styling of the pantry in place by setting aside a morning regularly to go through it and ensure that bad habits are not creeping back.

Creating a plan for your pantry will save you time, money and stress, whether you’re planning to sell your house or not. If you are selling your property and want to give buyers an extra reason to make an offer, show them how organised and easy your kitchen is to work in and wait for those offers to start rolling in. Such is the advantage styling your property professionally will give you before you list it for sale.