Living with clutter?
Clutter can completely take over your life. Once it starts, it's hard to stop and control. But if you are even considering putting your home on the market, de-cluttering is a must! Working exclusively with the Bennett Real Estate Pros (http://www.bennettpros.com/) has put me in touch with various homeowners and the number one tip I give all of them to present their home in the best light possible is to - get rid of the junk!
Clutter not only makes a home look messy but it makes any space seem smaller and closed in. Clutter also makes potential buyers think that the space does not have enough storage (a big negative when it comes to selling your home).
Here are some easy de-clutter tips courtesy of the Bennett Real Estate Pros:
1 -- Declutter for 15 minutes every day. It’s amazing how much you can get through if you just do it in small increments like this.
2 --Don’t allow things into the house in the first place. Whether you have begun de-cluttering the living space, or you have just completed it, stop bringing in new stuff NOW. Even if that’s ALL you do and don’t start de-cluttering immediately, if you can only establish one habit at a time, establish the no-more-stuff habit first. This way, when you do get to de-cluttering the existing stuff, you have already stopped making it worse. Think of bailing out a boat with a hole in it. You can bail and bail, but it won’t do anything for the leak.
3 --Donate stuff you’re decluttering, so you don’t feel bad about wasting it.
4 -- Create a goals chart with de-cluttering on it — either daily, or 3 times a week. Check off the days when you de-clutter, and you’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment.
5 --Start at the corner by the door and move your way around the room, doing the superficial stuff first - surfaces, empty the bin etc. Repeat, but do more the second time around - for example. open the cupboards.
6 -- Whenever you’re boiling the kettle for tea, tidy up the kitchen. If the kitchen is tidy, tidy up the next room - it’s only 3 minutes but it keeps you on top of everything (helps if you have an Englishman’s obsession with Tea as well!)
7 -- Use the “one in, two out” rule. The rule: whenever you bring in an item, you have to throw away two other items. First you cheat, by throwing out two pieces of paper, but soon you will have to move to big stuff.
8 -- Make your storage space smaller and more minimal. If you have lots of storage, you’ll fill it with stuff.
9 -- Clothing rule: If you haven’t worn an item in 6 months, sell or donate it.
10 -- The One-Year Box. Take all your items that you unsure about getting rid of (e.g. “I might need this someday…”), put them in a box, seal it and date it for 1 year in the future. When the date comes, and you still did not need to open it to get anything, donate the box WITHOUT OPENING IT. You probably won’t even remember what there was in the box.
11 -- De-clutter one room (including any closets, desks, cabinets, etc.) before starting on the next one. Spending time in that room will feel so good, and it will be so easy to keep clean, that it will motivate you to do more!
12 -- Keep a list in your planner labeled “Don’t Need It - Don’t Want It.” When you’re out shopping and run across some kind of gadget or other item you crave, note it down on the list. This will slow you down long enough to reconsider. Also, seeing the other things on the list that you nearly bought on impulse really helps.
13 -- Internalize that your value is not in your “stuff”. It is just “stuff”. And realize that your value grows when you share your “stuff”. Hoarding is a selfish act.
14 -- Have someone else (who you trust!) help you go through things. They don’t have the (sometime’s irrational) emotional attachment that you might have, but can still recognize if something should be kept.
15 --Gift everything. Books you have read immediately get recycled among friends, family or local libraries. If you buy a new gaming system, donate your old one – and all the games.
Once you have started to de-clutter your home, not only will it look better but you will feel better too. The feedback from your showings will be very positive and your home will be on the market for less time. So get started, the spring is the perfect time to refresh and rejuvenate!
Clutter not only makes a home look messy but it makes any space seem smaller and closed in. Clutter also makes potential buyers think that the space does not have enough storage (a big negative when it comes to selling your home).
Here are some easy de-clutter tips courtesy of the Bennett Real Estate Pros:
1 -- Declutter for 15 minutes every day. It’s amazing how much you can get through if you just do it in small increments like this.
2 --Don’t allow things into the house in the first place. Whether you have begun de-cluttering the living space, or you have just completed it, stop bringing in new stuff NOW. Even if that’s ALL you do and don’t start de-cluttering immediately, if you can only establish one habit at a time, establish the no-more-stuff habit first. This way, when you do get to de-cluttering the existing stuff, you have already stopped making it worse. Think of bailing out a boat with a hole in it. You can bail and bail, but it won’t do anything for the leak.
3 --Donate stuff you’re decluttering, so you don’t feel bad about wasting it.
4 -- Create a goals chart with de-cluttering on it — either daily, or 3 times a week. Check off the days when you de-clutter, and you’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment.
5 --Start at the corner by the door and move your way around the room, doing the superficial stuff first - surfaces, empty the bin etc. Repeat, but do more the second time around - for example. open the cupboards.
6 -- Whenever you’re boiling the kettle for tea, tidy up the kitchen. If the kitchen is tidy, tidy up the next room - it’s only 3 minutes but it keeps you on top of everything (helps if you have an Englishman’s obsession with Tea as well!)
7 -- Use the “one in, two out” rule. The rule: whenever you bring in an item, you have to throw away two other items. First you cheat, by throwing out two pieces of paper, but soon you will have to move to big stuff.
8 -- Make your storage space smaller and more minimal. If you have lots of storage, you’ll fill it with stuff.
9 -- Clothing rule: If you haven’t worn an item in 6 months, sell or donate it.
10 -- The One-Year Box. Take all your items that you unsure about getting rid of (e.g. “I might need this someday…”), put them in a box, seal it and date it for 1 year in the future. When the date comes, and you still did not need to open it to get anything, donate the box WITHOUT OPENING IT. You probably won’t even remember what there was in the box.
11 -- De-clutter one room (including any closets, desks, cabinets, etc.) before starting on the next one. Spending time in that room will feel so good, and it will be so easy to keep clean, that it will motivate you to do more!
12 -- Keep a list in your planner labeled “Don’t Need It - Don’t Want It.” When you’re out shopping and run across some kind of gadget or other item you crave, note it down on the list. This will slow you down long enough to reconsider. Also, seeing the other things on the list that you nearly bought on impulse really helps.
13 -- Internalize that your value is not in your “stuff”. It is just “stuff”. And realize that your value grows when you share your “stuff”. Hoarding is a selfish act.
14 -- Have someone else (who you trust!) help you go through things. They don’t have the (sometime’s irrational) emotional attachment that you might have, but can still recognize if something should be kept.
15 --Gift everything. Books you have read immediately get recycled among friends, family or local libraries. If you buy a new gaming system, donate your old one – and all the games.
Once you have started to de-clutter your home, not only will it look better but you will feel better too. The feedback from your showings will be very positive and your home will be on the market for less time. So get started, the spring is the perfect time to refresh and rejuvenate!
Labels: home staging, ottawa real estate, selling tips
posted by Unknown @ 2:40 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home