One of the more frustrating parts of homeownership is clutter! Home sweet home is also a place where we collect up all our treasures over the years. You decide that the hot dog spiralizer you absolutely needed two years ago now just takes up cabinet space. Not only is de-cluttering a freeing exercise, but it is also a must when selling your home.
Declutter Your Home and Declutter Your Mind
Why is it important to declutter? Here are some reasons reducing possessions in your home can raise the value of your home, help clear your mind, and simplify your life:
- Emotional Preparation
- When you declutter your home, you become more emotionally prepared to sell it. It allows you to mentally let go of the past and move forward into the future.
- Preparation for Moving
- Decluttering means there is less to pack!
- More Focus on Buyers
- When you have a less cluttered house buyers can see beyond your possessions and decorations. This is especially true when your décor aesthetic does not match that of the potential buyer. When you give them the opportunity to see where their possessions fit in your house, they see the greater potential.
- Maximize the Space in the House
- Space sells! Reducing the amount of furniture, pictures, and tchotchkes provides the appearance of the room to spread out and breathe.
- Photographic Value
- Pictures sell a home, especially in this online era. Great pictures enhance the listing information.
- New House Feeling
- Tidy and clean trump dull, cluttered, and dingy every time. With clean empty space and surfaces your “old” house can feel new again!
- Reduce Liability
- Remove the possibility of trip and fall hazards in the home by decluttering and reducing the amount of furniture and throw rugs. In addition, removing things like vases, antiques, and other breakables eliminates potential accidents
There Are Two Types of Clutter
1. Genuine, Real Clutter
These are items that are out of place or things you don’t want or need. Examples include junk mail, empty boxes, toys your children have outgrown, or books that will never be read.
2. Treasured Clutter
These are those things that you want to keep – for whatever reason – but you don’t need in your daily life and won’t use before the house is sold. These often include things like heirlooms, extra office, cleaning, and bathroom supplies, kitchen gadgets, and extra linens.
Genuine Clutter be Gone!
Are you ready to make a dent in the clutter in your house? Want fast and grand feelings of gratification and liberation? Make a sweep of your home and eliminate these things right now:
- Cardboard Boxes and Shopping Bags
- Wire Hangers
- Old Shoes
- Clothing That Can’t or Won’t Be Worn – for both children and adults!
- Old, Outgrown, or Broken Toys
- Old Halloween Costumes – If that Spiderman costume needs to move on–sell or donate.
- Completed Coloring, Game, and Puzzle Books
- Empty Plastic Food Containers
- Old Craft Supplies
- Old or Disposable Cameras
- Outdated or Obsolete Technology (Phones, Computers, Tablets, etc.) and all the cords, adapters, and widgets that go with them
- Stale Potpourri, empty Air Fresheners, and Diffusers
Push The Easy Button on Clearing Clutter
Everyone has their own strategy for decluttering. There are articles, books, videos, and even podcasts that will explain many of them. There is no right or wrong method. The secret is that the decluttering strategy that is best for you is the one that works for you. Here are a few to try:
- Attack one small area at a time like a drawer, a shelf, or a box.
- Set a timer to 10 or 15 minutes and go at it without distraction.
- Go through the house with a trash bag and don’t stop until it is finished. You can do the same with a donate or recycle bag or box.
- Schedule a date on your calendar – and do it!
- Make decluttering a habit. Incorporate it into chores (through away outdated make-up or food as you clean those areas.
- Avoid sentimental items in a de-cluttering sweep. Accumulate those things and make decisions later.
- Live by the one-in/one-out rule. If you purchase an item, throw out the one it is replacing. Limit the number of the same thing. Who needs four dictionaries or 482 pens?
- Purchase less. Unsubscribe to the discount groups, and recycle catalogs without opening them. Instead of surfing Amazon or shopping, take a walk, feed the ducks, or pull some weeds.
How and Where to Jettison the Clutter you Collect
If you are like most people, there are things that you don’t need that others could use. A friend of mine has four vacuum cleaners, all of which are good machines. She keeps them because she doesn’t want to throw them away. The same goes for other things we collect – like old baseball cards and our childhood toys. You. don’t have to throw them away to declutter your home.
Lawson and Co Auctions can help you sell your household treasures put a bit of extra cash in your pocket. So go ahead and start on the path to a cleaner, more organized home. Call us at (317) 745-6404 and see how we can help you declutter when it’s time to sell your home, or simply for greater peace of mind.
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