As you purge your excess, also pack the items that will move with you. As you pack, group like items together. Consider how they will be stored and organized within your new home. Think about their “home”, where they will live, within your new home and place them in a box marked and destined for that location.

If you are unsure about an item’s destination and can’t figure out how to mark the box, consider what type of activity relates to using it. For instance, if you discover a grill cover, tongs for grilling, bug spray and outside chair cushions, they might be destined for the same area, your fabulous new deck! Items that will live together in your new home should also live together in the same box until unpacked. Place the heaviest items on the bottom of each box to avoid damage enroute.

Mark each box clearly with the room destination desired so that the movers can do most of the work for you. This also helps you locate items if you need them in a pinch before they are officially unpacked and stored.

If you are simply purging and not moving, stop before you reload your closet or cupboard. Consider each item and whether it should actually keep living where it was found or if it would serve you better in a different location. Things end up in the craziest places by default when life gets busy. Take a moment to reconsider before you tuck it away into the same space.

Professional Organizers thrive on this kind of challenge. We love this process! If you feel overwhelmed and under-motivated, help is a phone call away. As a Board Certified Professional Organizer, I can expedite this process and make your home or move less stressful. Call me direct at 760.840.9997 to discuss your challenges and I will explain how the Professional Organizing solution works. You can also visit my website to view actual client ‘before and after’ storage solutions .

After you have sorted, packed and purged your closets and cabinets, you are ready to strategize for the actual move. Or maybe you will enjoy your newfound space so much that you will decide that your house really isn’t too small, it was simply packed with too much stuff! No joke, I have witnessed this phenomena with actual clients!

Next up, we will cover the big day – the move and how to best prepare for this dramatic shift in scenery!

Kathi Burns

Founder - addSpace to Your Life!

670-840-9997

If I can provide more information about the housing market in general, or otherwise assist you in your homes search, please contact me by phone or text at (760) 840-1360
or email me at JDowler@remax.net.

DE-CLLUTTER!

I know this is an ugly word. But you hear it alot. At least from us agents when we list a home and start counseling you on what you need to do. And it's probably something you DON'T want to hear.

• We talk about needed repairs - the dripping sink, the squeaky door, the piece of crown molding that's missing
• We suggest improvements inside and out - trim the hedges, paint the front door, straighten up the closets so they close and look larger inside, clean everything off the kitchen counters, take the kids' drawings off the refrigerator
• We tell you to DE-CLUTTER!

So what does this all mean? Taking care of repairs and minor defects is important because buyers notice them (and even look for them these days) and start subtracting how much they are are going to offer, or decide to NOT offer at all. Unless you are in a seller's market there is too much competition. And let's face it - why should a buyer purchase your home with all the defects you have been ignoring?

Having your home look its best is also important. First impressions are, well, first impressions. And while we, when selling, can believe that buyers will or should overlook some things (like a brilliant paint color, dated wallpaper, a messy yard, etc.) the truth is they don't. And they use these as reasons not to buy , especially if your home is not priced well. 

De-cluttering, or de-personalizing is HARD. No one likes to do it, for the most part. So why do we tell you to do so? And why is it so hard?

Putting away all the personal trappings of your life and making your home neutral is important so it appeals to a broad range of buyers. And so they don't get distracted by looking at walls of family vacation portraits and shelves and shelves of collectibles, and atually do what they are supposed to do - look at your HOUSE, picture themselves living there, and deciding if that feels right.  And taking away a lot of the stuff you live with makes your home look and feel larger. Many buyers just have a hard time imagining living in a cramped home - they can't see beyond the personal stuff and envision living there. You think they will ignore the huge sectional in teh middle of the floor blocking access to the patio door? NOT! So our advice to de-clutter is important to listen to. Plus you have to pack anyway, right?

But it's hard to do this. And some sellers jsut can't do  it. Emotionally, it just doesn't feel right. You have to continue to live in your "home" and yet it doesn't feel like your home any more. I think this is especially hard for those who have been in a home for many years and there are lots of memories. Or if a spouse has died and one must put away all those memories. And the thought os putting all this stuff into boxes when you might not be moving for months is NOT appealing. Having been through it myself a bunch of times I KNOW what a pain it is.

1. Keep your objective in mind - SELLING YOUR HOME for the best price and as quickly as possible
2. Your home is now a product for buyers to view. You are moving to a NEW HOME. Think of it as staging your home for buyers, like designing a beautiful window display in a retail store
3. Buyers generally cannot look past personal stuff so don't let it distract them
4. You will need to pack anyhow, so why not start
5. The more you depersonalize, the easier it becomes to continue doing so
6. The first box is the worst
7. Be objective - look at your home with the eye of a buyer, from the outside and inside. Or have a friend help you. And take what your agent tells you seriously