Crate hire for decluttering, styling and downsizing
Every agent on the North Shore gives the same advice before a sale: take away half of what is in the house. Family photos, the overflowing bookshelf, the wardrobe that will not close, the kids' things in the corner of the living room. Buyers need to imagine themselves in the space, and they cannot do that around somebody else's life.
That advice is easy to give and a fortnight of work to follow. Crates make it a job rather than an ordeal: box it up, stack it neatly out of sight, and get on with the campaign.
Why crates rather than boxes
Presentable enough to leave out
Stacked crates in a garage look like a house being organised. A wall of mismatched cartons looks like a house in trouble, which is not the impression you want during an open home.
Sized for the fortnight that counts
The week before the photographer and the week after is when the work happens. That is what a hire covers, and it is when having proper crates makes the difference.
Packed once, moved once
Whatever you box up for the styling is already packed when you sell. It goes straight on the truck rather than being unpacked and repacked.
Lids mean you can stop halfway
Downsizing or clearing a parent's house goes in stages. A crate with the lid on is a finished job you can walk away from, rather than another pile in the hallway.
How many crates will you need?
Styling for sale needs fewer crates than a move, because you are removing the excess rather than everything. Downsizing needs more than you think.
2 to 4 crates per bedroom
4 to 8 crates per room
3 to 5 crates per kitchen
3 to 6 crates per study
4 to 6 crates per room
4 to 8 crates per garage
About 20 crates
Your answers come to 14 to 27 crates. We have rounded up to 20, because running short on the day costs more than a spare crate does.
$100
inc GST. Two weeks of hire, delivery and collection included.
Book 20 cratesFor styling, start with 20 and ring us if you run short. People almost always find more to pack away once they start seeing the rooms empty out.
What to box up before the photographer comes
Anything personal, anything duplicated, and anything that makes a room look smaller than it is. The test agents use is whether an item helps a stranger picture living there.
Photographs are the first thing and the hardest: a hallway of family portraits is lovely and it stops a buyer seeing the hallway. Box them, and put them back the week you settle.
- Family photographs and anything with names on it
- Two thirds of the books, and most of what is on open shelving
- Everything on the kitchen bench except two objects
- Wardrobe overflow, so the robes look like they have room
- Toys, sports gear and the contents of the hall cupboard
- Paperwork, medications and anything you would not want a stranger reading
Timing it around the campaign
Work backwards from the photography date, not the first open home. The photos are what sell the house online and they happen early, often a fortnight before the first inspection.
Get the crates about a week before the photographer and pack over that week. Anything you are keeping boxed for the whole campaign is worth moving into your own boxes once it is sorted, so the crates come back and you are not paying to store things you have already packed.
Downsizing, and clearing a family home
Sorting a house someone has lived in for forty years is a different job from moving, and the mistake is treating it like one. It takes weeks, it is emotionally heavy, and it goes badly when it is rushed into a weekend.
Crates help because they let you work in stages: keep, give, sell, sort later. The lids mean a half-finished room can be closed up and left, which matters when you can only face a few hours at a time. Book them for the fortnight you have set aside, and book again for the next push.
Where to stack them during the campaign
The garage, almost always. Stacked five high along one wall, labelled on the ends, leaving room for a car if the garage is part of what you are selling.
If the garage is being shown, a storage unit for the campaign is worth the money. An immaculate house with a garage full of boxes tells the buyer the house has no storage, which is the opposite of the point.
Packs that suit this job
Studio Stash
25 crates
$109
A studio, a one-bedroom flat or a small office
Two-Bedder
50 crates
$189
A two-bedroom home or a small office
Family Burrow
75 crates
$249
A three-bedroom home or a mid-size office
Big Burrow
100 crates
$309
A four-bedroom home, or a whole office floor
Common questions
Should I declutter before selling my house?
Every agent will tell you to, and they are right. Buyers need to picture themselves in the space, which is hard around family photographs, full bookshelves and overflowing wardrobes. Boxing the excess away makes rooms look bigger and gives you a head start on the move.
How many crates do I need to declutter for a sale?
Usually 15 to 25 for a two-bedroom and 25 to 40 for a family home. Start with about 20 and ring us if you run short - people almost always pack more away once they see how much better the rooms look.
How long do I get the crates for?
A fortnight, which covers the week before the photographer and the week after. You can add a week for $1.50 a crate if you need it. For a whole campaign, transfer what is staying boxed into your own cartons and book crates again for the move itself.
Where should I put the crates during open homes?
The garage, stacked five high along one wall so a car still fits. If the garage itself is being shown, consider a storage unit for the campaign: a full garage tells buyers the house has nowhere to put anything.
Can you help with downsizing or clearing a family home?
We deliver and collect, and we can bring more over if you run short. Sorting a home of forty years takes weeks rather than a weekend, so most people book a fortnight at a time and book again for the next stage rather than holding crates through the whole job.
Crates for other jobs
- Office moves
Crates are how commercial moves are done. Weekday windows, two weeks included.
- Renovations
Pack the kitchen away and live around the trades, without dust in everything.
- Storage runs
For the run into the unit and the run back out.
Crates from $25, delivered free
Two weeks included, no bond, seven days a week from the Harbour Bridge to Palm Beach.