Not just a closet, a lifestyle.
There are no closets like New York City closets. Bulging to the point of explosion, they are chaotic black holes into which the detritus of overcrowded urban life is daily chucked, sinking ever closer to the bottom, gathering dust and ultimately disappearing from sight and mind. In a city where people routinely pay significant sums for multiple storage units and fill them with cast off toys, out-of-season clothing and enough furniture for a second home, closet envy can be a powerful motivator.
The cook’s kitchen, the “destination" bath and ample closets are real estate’s troika of solid sellers. In marketing terms, all three are “aspirational images” that offer potential buyers a nearly irresistible vision of how their lives will improve if they buy something, in this case your home.
For a seller, the large, well-organized closet is one of the easiest, least expensive improvements to make.
If you already have big closets, clean them out and get them organized so that there is at least a little empty space in each one. I cannot stress this too strongly: extra space on the shelves clearly communicates that the closet can easily accommodate the buyer’s things.
Organization is even more important in small closets than in large ones. California Closets® systems are the holy grail of storage because they look good and increase both the capacity and the efficiency of even the smallest spaces. If you can afford them, or something similar, do it. You’ll get the money back when you sell.
What if you don’t have many closets or they’re all really small? Building a closet is not that difficult or expensive – it usually just takes framing, sheetrock, trim and a door. In general, eighteen inches of interior depth should accommodate most clothes hangers, and kitchen pantries need be only about 12 inches deep. These days many contractors are not that busy and are happy to take on small jobs. If you live in a large apartment building, the super may take side jobs or be willing to recommend someone to you.
If you can’t build a closet, it will help to get rid of the army of armoires (you know you have them) filling up your living space. Nothing says we have a storage crisis like a random assortment of tall looming storage pieces. Put the contents in boxes and send it all to storage until you move. Your rooms will feel bigger and you’ll avoid the double whammy of no storage and no space.
Remember, a person who is being inexorably squeezed out of his apartment by his stuff is a motivated buyer. Make his closet envy work for you.
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