Should you hide sports memorabilia when selling your home

You have a shrine to the ’89 Saskatchewan Rough Riders in your home office.  And, you paid a lot of money at a fundraiser five years ago for a signed Iginla jersey, framed and hanging proudly in your front hall.  Or, there’s that Jacques Plante replica mask that your dad wanted you to have.

Now, you’re going to list your home and the home staging company you’ve hired thinks you need to put away this unnecessary clutter so as not to offend potential buyers as they parade through your home.

What?  Unnecessary CLUTTER??

As traitorous to your team it might be and disloyal to the memory of those who gifted you with such wonderful memories, if you want to play the real estate game it’s best to neutralize the playing field.

You simply can’t guarantee that a potential buyer on a tour of your home is going to appreciate your decorative offerings and history has shown that buyers would rather see a clean, unfettered space.  Psychologically, it’s just too difficult for many people to see past the decorations and your memorabilia could be a barrier to their vision of life in your house.

Imagine if an Argonauts fan, moving from Toronto loves your house but in the back of his mind is flabbergasted that you would actually pay homage to the mighty Green and White, it just might affect the outcome.

Sports can be like religion to some people, and objects in your home associated with both of these subjects could definitely be problematic even though buyers might joke out loud about what they’ve discovered on display.

Emblems of sports heroes or religious themes are emotionally charged even if people don’t admit it outright.Home staging professionals recommend either putting your memorabilia away or at the very least, doing some heavy editing.

Sports-related pictures, framed jerseys, team pennants, game balls and the ever popular bobble heads that dominate a room are just too much.  Consider leaving a few key pieces, particularly historic artifacts.  Use memorabilia in the same way you would use art on the walls of your home.However, the better plan is to put everything in storage and use other options for art that may have broader appeal.

If you’re really wondering how far to take it when editing your prized possessions, give some thought to what room in your home in which you keep your sports team collection.  If it’s downstairs in a rec room or in a second-floor home office it may have less influence on a potential buyer’s perception of your home. First-impressions are everything so definitely remove anything in the front hall, even if it’

Beyond the fact that seeing your collection may cause a subtle but negative reaction, you may want to pack things away for security reasons. A busy open house can be an opportunity for a Light Fingered Louie to walk off with anything of value, especially a signed item or rare collective.You’re going to be moving anyway, so before you list your home could be the right time to safety and securely pack it all up.