That sinking feeling. . .
It's one of those listings you dread. The location is great, the curb appeal is there, but all of the sudden, your heart sinks... you are speechless. This place is a mess! No buyer will ever see what this house is really worth with a room like this. "This is all the buyer is going to remember." That's what the listing agent said to me on the phone.
"I am sure I have seen worse. It can't be that bad, "I said.
"You don't understand, I cannot open the door, and we're on the market next Monday," the agent said, exasperated.
When I arrived, Mary, the homeowner, invited me in and led me to her sewing room, then opened the door. Make that, she tried to open the door.
Magazines were everywhere. "Ohhhh, Mary!," I said. "Let's do the math: Six subscriptions times 30 years. ...You have over 2,000 magazines in here!" I wanted to say "crammed in here," but I didn't. She told me she had not been across her sewing room in almost seven years.
She explained to me that her husband would practically disown her if she brought the magazines to their storage unit. "I love my cooking magazines. You never know when you might need a good recipe!"
"Mary," I said with a soft voice, "how were you planning on finding that great recipe?"
"I don't know. ...I did find a great site on the Internet," she said.
Rolling up our sleeves, we pulled out an ironing board to use as a narrow table in the hallway. I set up my six-box sorting system, STACKS*, then cracked open the door removing what I could. With a heap of magazines in front of her and a number of magazine she decided to keep (only 20), I had her place the ones she wanted to keep to the right and the ones to recycle to the left. Then I set the timer, bringing her more and more magazines as the time went on. After four hours (and three trips to the recycling center), we were halfway there.
The rest of the day we spent organizing her sewing supplies and all I heard from Mary was, "Why hadn't I done this before," "Why was I so upset to lose my old magazines?," and "Look at what a great room this is, and I haven't used it in seven years." When it came right down to it, Mary only kept four magazines, the ones she remembered using with her late mom. For Mary, holding on to all the magazines was her way of holding on to her mother's memory.
When your seller hangs onto an overwhelming amount of material things, it's never what it seems. There's always an emotional connection to a time in their lives or to someone they were close to. Be gentle and understanding because there's more than meets the eye. It's not about the mounds, it's about the memories.
*For more information on my 6-box sorting system, STACKS, and a printable form for your seller -go to Clutter stops buyers in their tracks!!
Helping you get your listing SOLD,
Angela Voss
Designology Home Staging
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