Winning the clutter wars

In the next two articles I will be sharing with you some great tips on how to de-clutter and organize your home. If you missed the last installment (Homeowner’s Declaration of Independence) please just give me a call and I would be happy to send one out to you.


The first step in winning the Clutter War is to de-bug your own mind! Most of us don’t recognize clutter when it falls out of the closet onto our heads, so how in the world will we conquer it? Let’s start by defining what clutter is. Clutter is anything in your home:

* That is out of place.

* That is broken.

* That you have not used or worn in more than a year.

* That you dislike.

Now don’t panic. I won’t be telling you to throw everything away that falls within the above definition of clutter. BUT, once you get a clear picture in your head of what constitutes clutter you will be better able to deal with it! In the next installment we still start in one small place to give you some practice in sorting through all that clutter.

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A Clutter Free Home

As a longtime homeowner I have had to deal with my number one enemy - the monster that lurks under every bed and in every closet - CLUTTER! Nothing will interfere with your enjoyment of your home as much as disorganization and clutter.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be sharing some tips on how to simplify your household and get organized. But first, let's look at some ways to prevent the clutter in the first place. You can call this  your Homeowner's Declaration of Independence.

1. Garage sales are events you stage, not events you attend.  Unless you are a  professional junk or antique dealer, there is no reason for you to ever attend a garage sale.
2. Discover the joys of borrowing. Let's be honest. There are some things you might only use two or three times a year. You don't need to buy these things. Your friends will be happy to dig them out from their garage or the bottom of their closet and lend them to you.
3. Throw away all those full color store ads in your newspaper and mailbox - do NOT browse them first. Those ads exist for one reason only - to make you think you need more stuff. I know, you think you are just window shopping, but that is the first step to buying a juicer with ten attachments or a bigger and better George Foreman grill.
4. Treat ebay and other internet shopping sites like disaster areas - steer clear of them. You will not escape unscathed. Clutter will leap into your shopping cart of its own volition!
5. Finally, if you absolutely must buy something, do it only to replace something you already have. It's okay to replace your grill, your vacuum cleaner or the refrigerator - just don't multiply them!

Selling Your Home In The Winter

Selling a home during the winter months can be a challenge. Dreary, cold weather can keep buyers away and heighten fears of your home staying on the market longer than expected.

If you are serious about getting your home sold, you should realize that this is actually a great time to sell your home. You may think you should take your home off the market because there are fewer buyers out at this time of year. That is true, however, those buyers who are out home shopping in the winter are very serious buyers. During the slack time in the market, the less serious buyers drop out. So show your home now to those serious buyers, especially as at this time of year they have less homes to choose from, lessening your competition.

There are a few thing that you should do to increase your home's appeal during the winter. Staying on top of winter maintenance and chores is a sure-fire way of adding value to your home. A neatly shoved driveway and cleared walkway are a must. Don't forget to shovel by the side doors, the garage and decks. It is fine to