Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
It is always a good idea to declutter your home. It is easy to accumulate too much stuff and clutter the longer you have lived in a home. Unless you are very good at purging items at least once a year, items just manage to accumulate. The more stuff you have the more you will have to keep it clean! Decluttering a home may not be something that everyone is up to, however it is a good idea to keep the clutter to a minimum.
If you have items that you cannot seem to part with, then you may want to consider renting a self-storage unit. Be sure to compare the self-storage companies to ensure that your items are well-protected, and it financially makes sense.
Let's take a look at the easy steps to declutter your home.
If you are moving to a new home, you will have fewer items to move. You will need fewer moving boxes if you physically have less to move. You also may be utilizing moving services from a moving company. Living in a cluttered space can be mentally draining as the clutter will become obvious and need to be tended to.
Clutter can create stress, and that can create feelings of being overwhelmed. If you are selling your home, then your home will be showcased in its best light with fewer items around. Less is more!
If you are downsizing your home it is an excellent idea to declutter your stuff. You won't physically have room for all the unnecessary stuff. A trend that is growing in popularity is tiny homes. Tiny homes have just the basics and there is no room for any additional items. There are moving hacks to help you to reduce the amount of stuff that you need to move.
Another excellent reason to declutter is that you will be reducing your carbon footprint. So not only will decluttering help you, it will help our environment. Having less stuff in all of the rooms in the house will generally make the rooms appear larger!
The first step to decluttering your home is to sort through all the items that you have. If you have an abundance of clutter, it can be overwhelming and maybe something that you choose to put off. It is a good idea to get rid of items that you don't use or need.
Begin the process by going through your personal items, and deciding which items you want to keep or not. If your personal items are in good condition, you can donate them to charitable organizations. If the items are in disrepair, stained, or damaged, then you will likely have to throw them out.
Appliances: Many old appliances do not really have value if they are old. If you have old mixers or blenders, they will not hold their value.
Electronics: Most of us replace our cell phones and computers every few years. If you are not recycling your phone at the store where you are replacing it, you may have a number of cell phones, tablets, and even old computers. If you have old Apple products, the Apple store does offer a copper recycling program and if it is not that old and in good condition, they will often buy the phones back from you for store credit.
Clothes: If you have not worn something for a year, get rid of it! If you have growing children, you are always replacing their clothes with larger sizes. Consider selling them at a children's resale boutique. You may put a little cash in your pocket, and at the same time, possibly find something or one of your own children! Clothing and other items can be sold on apps such as Poshmark. The app is super easy, and a great way to get a little money back for items that are no longer wanted. Getting rid of unnecessary clothing will declutter your closet.
Furniture: Old furnishings that you no longer want or need, consider getting rid of it. If it is a family heirloom, and you want to hang on to it, but not have it in your home, you can consider self-storage. You may have an old piano that no one is playing, but you don't want to sell it, consider putting that in storage. Another option with furnishings or heirlooms that are no longer wanted is to have an estate sale.
Paper: Scan old paper files so they can be stored in the cloud. Do the same with old photographs, however, I would personally still keep the photographs. Important documents such as birth certificates, insurance coverage should be kept in a safety deposit box.
Put items that you want to keep in self-storage such as old family heirlooms and old furniture that you are not willing to get rid of just yet. If you have items that need to be boxed up, purchase plastic containers to store them. Be sure the label the items so the contents are easily identifiable in self-storage. Other items to consider keeping in storage includes the following:
Now that you have gone through the painstaking task of decluttering your house, you don't want the clutter to return. Stay on top of the clutter as it begins to accumulate, get rid of the items that you do not need. Prevent clutter from accumulating. Use restraint when shopping and don't even purchase items that are unnecessary.
One of the top Newport Beach Realtors Sharon Paxson has written the real estate article “How to Declutter Your Home | 4 Simple Tips”. With experience since 2005 representing sellers, buyers, and landlords with their real estate transactions, we welcome the opportunity to share our knowledge and expertise and guide you through the home buying or selling process.
