What does it mean to declutter?
When people think about home staging, the first thing that comes to mind is decluttering. Yes! You must tackle the household clutter, but what does it really mean?
My online dictionary definition of declutter is: “to remove things you do not need from a place, in order to make it more pleasant and more useful.”
Amen! More of that! But let’s get specific.
Decluttering means different things to different people
What is necessary to me might be useless to you. And there are so many things in my house that I might need at some point - heavy on the might and light on the actual need. My fantasy self has lots of clothing, craft supplies, kitchen appliances and sports equipment that I imagine that I will use someday. The truth is that I might never craft, cook or exercise like I hope, and I certainly won’t be doing any of that while I prepare to move. Those items are clutter.
Saving for someday…
Our homes are our sanctuaries
Here’s where I say that I come with no judgement at anyone’s home. I’ve been to mobile homes and mansions. I’ve met the minimalists and the savers. It’s all preference. It’s all perspective. You do you. Our homes are our sanctuaries, and we should enjoy them exactly as we like.
But a home for sale is no longer your home, so it’s time to get it ready for marketing, which means it’s time to tackle decluttering, stager style.
When you make the decision to move, the first challenge to tackle is how to get you and your family, and all your stuff, from one place to another. There are so many other rabbit holes to go into here, but let’s stick with stuff in this article!
Stage to Sell
At a Staging Consultation, I meet with sellers to go through their home, inside and out, room-by-room to determine furniture arrangements, updates, décor and what items should be pre-packed prior to marketing the home. It forces the seller to come face to face with all their things and unfortunately, it can leave a seller overwhelmed, but the goal of the consultation is to also have a strategy to prepare for the move and stage their home.
Minimalism & Home Organization
I enjoy watching YouTube videos by minimalists and organizers. They have tons of strategies for how to make decisions on what to keep, donate, sell or discard. The business of home organization has sparked the sale of millions of dollars of more stuff, to put our stuff in. Who doesn’t love a closet with all the small things sorted into labeled bins? I can tell you from watching these professionals that it can take a long time to go through a lifetime of stuff.
An organized closet…
feels spacious, peaceful and buyers love them!
Here’s where you consider the work of careful decluttering long before you think you might want to move…I’m talking to myself here!
Speed Decluttering
What do you do when it’s time to declutter and you do not have much time to devote to the process?
The key to making quick progress is to focus on what you need over the next 3 months, or however long you think it will be before you are unboxing in your new home. Everything else is something to be “decluttered.” This means you will pre-pack, donate, discard or sell whatever is not needed in the immediate future.
When in doubt, pre-pack
Inevitably, you will open a box in the new home and ask yourself why you moved it. With the stress of moving, it is better not to be disappointed. You may find that a lamp you could never find a spot for in your current home will look perfect in your new den.
I love the room by room process we take in a Staging Consultation. Each room should have a purpose and a focal point. Everything else should be removed and prepacked. Furnishings and decor should instruct the buyers to see the space, light, purpose, proper layout and potential use whether it is a living area, dining room, bedroom or office. Whether you “need” it or not, the rest is potential clutter. The problem with clutter when selling is that is a potential distraction from the value of your property.
Homeowners often feel self-conscious about their homes and their stuff and worry about judgement from me or others. I’m here to tell you that I not only have too many chairs, blankets, photos and personal items in my living room, I’m happy about it! It’s a little cluttered, but it feels comfortable, welcoming and personal to me and my family. When it’s time to sell, I will do the hard work I advise clients to do.
If you are interested in strategies for staging and decluttering your home to sell, or how to stage your home for living, please reach out for a personalized Staging Consultation!
