As a home seller, one of the pieces of advice that you will encounter often, right from the beginning of the process, is that you need to organise and declutter your home for sale and keep it that way. We certainly advise our Kitchener-Waterloo real estate clients to tackle this task before they even begin to think about remodeling or redecorating to improve their home’s appeal.
The majority of home sellers heed this advice too, or at least they really mean to. Once they actually get started however, often a strange little demon pops up; the distraction devil. Before they know it that day they deliberately set aside to sort things out is over, and they don’t really know when they’ll next have the time. The distraction devil won and mild panic may set in.
But it does not have to be that way. Here are some pro-approved tips for making your organizing projects simple and easy experiences.
Minimize Interruptions
Once you have resolved to get an organization project underway, resolve not to check your email for the duration and let your calls go to voicemail. A simple email can be the excuse to delay a project that most people really aren’t all that keen to undertake anyway are subconsciously looking for, so do your very best not to let it.
Minimize Diversions
You are trying to organise your bedroom. However, when you get to the boxes in the closet you rediscover a whole bunch of clothes you have been overlooking for at least a few years, or a photo album you haven’t had a look at in ages. Or a folder full of your teenage child’s elementary school drawings you’d forgotten about. Within minutes you’re lost in reminisces and/or impromptu fashion shows for no one and precious time you should be spending organising this ‘stuff’ is lost.
To avoid this, put aside these items until later. They’ll for make fun after dinner conversation (did you really used to wear THOSE jeans? Is that really what Junior thought Dad looked like when he was five) AFTER you get the task at hand completed.
Eliminate the Small Stuff
You know, that little dish or basket on the counter? The one that seems to be storing some pennies, one bracelet, a random charging cord, assorted paper clips, three half pairs of earrings, half a pair of gloves and oddly mismatched Lego pieces? Every home has got some version of this. But when it comes to organizing — if you’re looking to make some major progress — remember this: Little pieces = big time waster.
To avoid this, start with the larger items, such as furniture, suitcases, boxes, and appliances and sweat the little stuff later. Toss the small items into a clear bag and label it with a black marker. Store all the bags together in a “missing parts and pieces” box and move on. The items missing their matches are likely to be reunited with them down the road as you progress and if they are not they are already bagged and ready for the garbage pile!