Avoid becoming overwhelmed as you declutter your Tamaqua house for sale.

You know you need to declutter before you put your Tamaqua house on the market. Your goal is to make yours look as much like a builder's model home as possible while still living there.

 

And yet, if you’re like most of us, you’ve accumulated an over-abundance of “stuff.” Thus, the task seems overwhelming.

 

You have two choices: You can hire a home organizer to come in and keep you on track, or you can follow these four simple steps:

• Tackle one thing at a time
• Have an organization plan
• Put your emotions aside
• Move things out quickly

Let’s begin with taking one thing at a time.

It’s simply not possible to declutter an entire house in one day. You can, however, do one room, one closet, or one drawer. Depending upon how much time you have for preparation, set aside one or two hours per day and work until you have one room finished. Then move on to the next room.

A good organization plan entails acquiring boxes.

Collect several cardboard boxes for items that will go to a charity – or the local dumpster. You might also want to use cardboard boxes for items you wish to give to family members or dispose of through a yard sale.

 

Purchase several plastic containers with lids for those items that you’ll take with you to your new home. These are the things you use occasionally; your collections; your photo albums; your past financial and tax records; sentimental items you simply can’t part with; and seasonal clothing, toys, and decor.

 

Now, as you remove or examine each item in a drawer, closet, or cupboard, place it in the proper box. (No, not if it’s something that must stay because you use it regularly.)

 

Even if it means buying additional boxes, put like items together. You don’t want to create new confusion by dealing with boxes full of unrelated items as you’re moving into your new home. Be sure to clearly label each of those boxes!

 

Set your emotions aside.

This is a tough one for most of us. We like to keep mementos from special occasions and gifts from special people, especially if those people have passed on. One way to get through this is to keep one or two items from each of those people and let go of the rest. If you don’t ever use those things you’re keeping, put them in their own container, labeled “Keepsakes.”

 

Move things out quickly.

Those boxes also add clutter and confusion, so move them on out. Begin with the boxes that go to a dumpster and follow them with boxes that go to charity, to friends, and to family. The covered plastic boxes are stackable, so if you have room in the garage to stack them without making the garage appear cramped, do so. Otherwise, consider renting a storage unit until it’s time to move them into your new home.

 

One more thing…

When you move into your new home, carefully consider whether you want to unpack all of those boxes.

 

Perhaps some of those seldom used items are better off staying in their nice, neat, plastic containers until the day you do want to use them.  A year or two from now you just might decide you don’t need them at all.

Interior Decorating - What’s OUT for 2017

If you’re thinking of doing a bit of remodeling before putting your Tamaqua home on the market, pay attention to what decorators now say is “Out.”

 

Nationwide, the consensus is that you should shy away from these recently popular trends. (Even if HGTV disagrees.)

 

Barn Doors. Decorators say “enough is enough.” They work well for spaces where a swinging door just won’t fit, but if that’s the case, a pocket door is a better (although more expensive) choice. Of course if your home is ultra-rustic, they still fit well.

 

Marble counter tops. People still love the look, but the care is another matter. Marble is prone to stains, burns, and scratches. It’s best used in places that get no wear and use – and a kitchen counter doesn’t fit that description. The good news is, there are man-made materials that look like marble, wear well, and even cost a bit less.

 

Shiplap. Unless you have a real farmhouse where it might have been used years and years ago, it’s out. As with the barn doors, decorators are saying “enough was enough last year.”

 

Zigzag patterns and gentle curves. Decorators say geometric patterns will be the “in thing” this season.

 

Metals. The trend is finally away from metal “everything” toward more and more wood accents. This makes good sense from a feng shui / balance perspective. Too much metal makes a room – or a home – feel cold and uninviting.

 

A short study of feng shui (the ancient Chinese art of placement) tells you that the most comfortable, inviting rooms have a nice balance of fire, water, wood, metal, and earth. These can, of course, be represented by color, art work, etc.

 

Carpet everywhere. Today’s home buyers are trending toward hardwood or hardwood-look manufactured flooring for its long life and easier care. They also appreciate that it's easy to change color schemes and give a room a fresh new look when the floor is a wood tone.

 

If painting is part of your plan, do visit the paint manufacturer’s sites to see the season’s newest “in” colors and get ideas for color combinations. But do be careful. When the color is bright, a little goes a long way, so use it for accents, not whole walls.

 

Neutrals are still the best choice for a home that's going on the market - but that doesn't mean stark white. Check out the "new neutrals" and choose your favorites.

 

In additon, before you make remodeling decisions, give me a call. Homebuyers in different areas have different tastes, so the most popular new trend in Miami might get a cold shoulder from buyers in Seattle.

 

I'll be happy to tell you what today's buyers right here in Tamaqua are looking for this year.