10 Steps to Creating Space In Just One Week (of hell)
April 28th, 2007 Family Life, Staging and Clutter
Don’t know where to begin to declutter your house ready for photos and showings? Lets assume it’s pretty darn bad and you’re really in dire straits on the mess front. No more excuses because this time serious money is riding on you cleaning up and making the house shine.
Step One – Don’t think of it as decluttering, think of it as creating space. Decluttering can have no end and can turn into a negative energy effect. Creating space is a more positive goal. Shout to Jessica Duquette for this point.
Step Two – Don’t assign blame to anyone, including yourself, for the mess. Just accept that this is the situation you find yourself in. The choice to either to fix it, or complain about it. Complaining about it hasn’t been working very well, so lets try fixing it. No one is the slob, no one is the victim. Slobs make a mess, victims attract more victimization. See how it can be a vicious cycle?
Step Three – Call the local newspaper and order an ad for a garage sale. Call a dumpster company and order a dumpster to arrive the day after the garage sale. Order cardboard boxes for packing.
Step Four – Step Three isn’t skippable. I’m NOT kidding about ordering an ad and a dumpster. The ad is going to force you into action and once you order it you can’t change your mind about it. You better have stuff to sell for the garage sale.
Step Five – Each day pick a new room and go through everything in it and decide whether you will either;
Trash It – It’s completely worthless.
Cash It – Someone might find it useful and pay for it.
Stash It – You like it and just need somewhere to store it.
Stage everything for the garage sale somewhere, or if their is no room to do that, go through the entire house with a pad of yellow Post-It notes and slap a Post-It note on everything thats going to be attempted to be sold. Then the morning of the garage sale have your friends come over and just grab everything with a Post-It note on it and haul it outside.
Step Six – Have your garage sale. Just leave everything on the lawn that didn’t sell. Magically the next morning half that stuff on the lawn will be gone.
Step Seven – The dumpster comes. Fill the dumpster with everything left on the lawn. Then haul everything else that is “Trash It” into the dumpster. You can use the Post-It note trick and call for friends to help haul the trash away.
Step Eight – Call for dumpster pick up. Call for a second dumpster if you need it. Repeat as required. Ask for a discount or something.
Step Nine – Pack your “Stash It” items in the cardboard boxes. You can do this packing through the entire event, but simply focusing on one theme at a time can be helpful. Call for a 1 800 Pack Rat or similar (go through Home Efficient if you’re a Prudential Connecticut Realty client) and store all your precious excess stuff out of the house for the showings and moving.
Tip – You won’t ever fit into those clothes again. Donate them.
Step Ten – Clean the house. Buy some fruit for a display on the dining room table. Have the photos taken of the house. Act like it was no big deal. Glow in the moment of victory over your stuff.
You’ll feel so much better I assure you.
May 6th, 2007 at 5:00 am
[...] Are you ready for just “one week of hell†to create space and make your house shine? Athol Kay gives us some great tips in 10 steps to Creating Space in Just One Week (of hell). I especially liked tip #6, and how does the stuff magically disappear? [...]
November 2nd, 2007 at 2:01 pm
[...] If you are a consumer selling your house, dog food it. Subscribe to a daily email of new homes for sale for a month or two before you list your house and see what catches your eye. It’ll make “decluttering” easier. [...]