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Home Staging Is Not Just For Sellers. Reduce Stress When You Reduce Mess

By
Home Stager with Sharon Tara Transformations

It's no secret that purging excess STUFF now and then is a good thing.

We all have too much stuff, and most of us don't deal with cleaning house as often as we should. Setting aside some time to reduce your possessions will not only help to make your living space more appealing, it will actually make your life less stressful.

 

Maybe it's a collection, that no longer has the sentimental value it once had, that is taking up valuable space in the family room.

Maybe a child has moved out and what was once their bedroom has become a catch-all for miscellaneous things you never actually use.

Maybe you have brought far too many "treasures" home from the yard sales only to find they aren't as great as you had thought.

 

Maybe you think you don't have the time or the energy to deal with what seems like an overwhelming task.  

It's actually more overwhelming if you DON'T deal with it.  It's more than just visual clutter...it's emotional clutter too. The confusion, discomfort and stress it creates can be very harmful.

 

Once you remove the excess things you no longer need or use and reposition and repurpose the things you do use, a weight will be lifted.

 

There is a calmness that comes from entering an organized, spacious and welcoming room.

 

One of the main things that keeps people from dealing with their stuff is not knowing where to start. 

 

The key is in breaking it up into small, manageable pieces.

 

Don't look at the whole mountain ahead of you...look at one section of that mountain that you can deal with now. Rather than the whole room, concentrate on one corner, one closet, or one drawer. 

 

Once you get started, the satisfaction you feel from completing a few steps

will propel you to take more steps.

Before you know it, you will have climbed the whole mountain!

Most people think of Home Staging as being a real estate thing.

Yes, Home Stagers help prepare homes for sale. But we also provide a valuable service to people who are not selling.

 

A Home Staging consultation is great for updating your style and creating more useful space in your home. We can help you with organization, furniture placement and choosing paint colors too!

 

Whether you are looking for advice on how to best use what you have, or advice on future purchases, a Home Stager can save you time and money!

 

Comments(48)

Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Sharon - I keep working on that "one bite at a time." I already had too much stuff, but then when I inherited a whole moving van full of my Mom's stuff... Yikes!

I'm making progress. A couple of weeks ago I donated two prom gowns from the 60's to a charity that provides gowns for girls who can't afford them - and today we sold a 1968 pickup my son bought 20 years ago and never got around to renovating. Next week my other son will be here and will hopefully go home with a few large items of my Mom's that he says he wants... one more bite! 

Jun 09, 2018 11:38 AM
Brian England
Ambrose Realty Management LLC - Gilbert, AZ
MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

I do this in my own home, as I believe less is more.  I hate having too much stuff and I probably should do it more often, but when I have enough space for everything, I am too lazy to throw stuff out, haha.

Jun 09, 2018 03:04 PM
Paul S. Henderson, REALTOR®, CRS
Fathom Realty Washington LLC - Tacoma, WA
South Puget Sound Washington Agent/Broker!

This has been an endless job ever since we moved in and downsized Sharon. Every time I look at our entryway; it is full of stuff being recycled or repurposed to charities. When will it ever end?

Jun 09, 2018 10:04 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Marte Cliff  Just keep biting! Before you know it, it will all be gone. Of course, that doesn't take into consideration you aquiring more stuff. LOL

Brian England  We all get lazy when we get comfortable. Sounds like you are doing a good job though. If you saw my basement you would never believe I took several trucks full of stuff to the dump and just as much to Goodwill and had a giant yard sale! 

Paul S. Henderson, REALTOR®,CRS,  A very good question. When will it end? After all I've done so far, I'm still selling stuff on facebook and craigslist and ebay. At least I'm making money. LOL

Jun 10, 2018 07:01 AM
Eva B. Liland Century 21 Doug Anderson
Century 21 Doug Anderson - Lancaster, CA
Glad to be of Service 661-714-1643

Oh gosh, such great advise! One bite... my new motto as I do believe less is more. I wouldn't really call myself a Hoarder but I am very close to that, lol.

To the thrift store I go from now on, dropping off unneeded items.

Jun 12, 2018 08:02 AM
Rebecca Gaujot, Realtor®
Lewisburg, WV
Lewisburg WV, the go to agent for all real estate

This hits homes with me, as I am trying to get my husband to get rid of files that he has had forever...:)

Jun 12, 2018 09:20 AM
Sharon Mistowski
Horizon Lending Services, LLC - Flint, TX
Horizon Lending Services, LLC

Sharon, this is highly useful information for anybody and everybody! People are prone to hoarding more than they'd like to admit and when we start to accumulate clutter, it could lead to a disaster!

 

I agree that not knowing where to start is the biggest culprit of inefficiency and I love your tip of starting small to make decluttering more manageable. Great post!

Jun 12, 2018 05:23 PM
Eva B. Liland Century 21 Doug Anderson
Century 21 Doug Anderson - Lancaster, CA
Glad to be of Service 661-714-1643

Quite honestly, I never thought about hiring a Home Stager for someone that is not planning to sell their home. Now I understand it better, lol.

Jun 12, 2018 05:33 PM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hello Sharon - it may not be such an enjoyable process but it is certainly worthwhile although best to deal with that "stuff" on a regular basis.  Good strategy to use too.

Jun 13, 2018 07:16 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Eva B. Liland with Century 21 Doug Anderson  You made me laugh! I hope you unload  lots  of stuff  and  find much peace!

Yes, stagers are very helpful to dwellers too. It makes the whole process much easier, faster and a lot more fun!

Rebecca Gaujot, Realtor®  Oh the spouse factor is a whole other issue

Jun 13, 2018 08:13 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Pat & Sharon Mistowski  I hope many people find it helpful! Thank you.

Michael Jacobs You would think having just moved  I would be clutter free, but I already have the makings of a yard sale building.

Jun 13, 2018 08:17 AM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

Great post!  It's so critical to eliminate clutter. After helping one client de-clutter her home sold quickly.  And I told her - doesn't that feel good?! 

Jun 13, 2018 08:32 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Jan Green  I'm sure your client, much like my clients, wishes she had done it sooner.

Jun 14, 2018 06:01 AM
Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP
DFW FINE PROPERTIES - Flower Mound, TX
Selling Homes Changing Lives

Sharon Tara - So well said! There is a clutter crisis all over our country. And most of it is happening closer than people think. 

Jun 22, 2018 09:08 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Patricia Feager  All we can really do is take care of own mess and hope everyone does theirs too.

Jun 23, 2018 06:20 AM
Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

Sharon - staging the home you live in is also a way to have a total reset.

Jun 29, 2018 06:31 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Grant Schneider  A whole new look can make such a difference in the way you feel about your house.

Jun 29, 2018 05:14 PM
Pat Starnes-Front Gate Realty
Front Gate Real Estate - Brandon, MS
601-991-2900 Office; 601-278-4513 Cell

I hate going into my home office because of all the clutter, the unfiled papers, etc. It would be much more pleasant if I would just do it, instead of avoiding it.

Jul 10, 2018 02:42 PM
Eva B. Liland Century 21 Doug Anderson
Century 21 Doug Anderson - Lancaster, CA
Glad to be of Service 661-714-1643

Update: So far its going slow but finally got rid of a dresser and a desk, working hard to get rid of the contents in my 30+ binders, got rid of 9 pairs of good looking shoes (too high for me to wear nowadays). It seems to take forever!

Jul 10, 2018 04:18 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Pat Starnes-Front Gate Realty  If you keep it organized it will be a much nicer place to spend time and you will notice the difference in how you feel in the room immediately.

Well worth the effort!

Eva B. Liland with Century 21 Doug Anderson  Yaaaayyy! That is awesome!

Keep on chipping away....you can do it!

I know what you mean about the heels....had to give them up years ago!

Jul 11, 2018 07:37 PM