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Got clutter? Might be time to move.

By
Real Estate Sales Representative with Immeubles Deakin Realty

Have you got clutter?  A linen closet that takes a full-on tackle to close?  A cabinet under the kitchen sink that looks like a product testing lab for household cleaning products?  Bin upon bin in the basement that may or may not contain your grade 7 report card?

Well then, it might be time to move!

I'm only partially kidding here.  A friend of mine is getting ready to put her Baie d'Urfé home for sale (with me as her listing agent - hooray!).  I was at her house on the weekend and she showed me the work she and her daughter were doing to purge, organize and give away the clutter that accummulates after 10 years of living in the same house.

It got me to thinking about all the stuff taking any and all available space (and more) in my own house.  It used to be that I moved A LOT.  When I was in university, I moved every year.  When I started my career, I moved every two years.  When I started my family, it was every four years.  Well, now that I'm living in the most wonderful neighbourhood in Kirkland, Quebec, it's been seven years and counting...and I've got the clutter to prove it!  I don't plan to move, but I do plan to behave like I'm getting ready to put my home on the market.  So I'm strapping on my body armour and heading to the linen closet this afternoon. 

How about you?  Have you got clutter?  Then maybe it's time to move!  If you'd like to know what your home might be worth, I know just the person to call.  She lives and works in Montreal's West Island, selling great homes and helping people find a place to call home. And though she may be lost under an avalanche of pillows at the moment, she'll be out soon enough.

Originally posted at www.readysetsold.ca/blog

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Professional home staging and professional photography: two critical factors to making sure your home looks its best, both in person and on the Internet, and neither of them cost you a penny when you list with me.

 

Put your best house forward. TM

Tanya Nouwens

Tanya Nouwens Inc., Montreal Real Estate Broker and Canadian Staging Professional (TM)  www.readysetsold.ca 

RE/MAX ROYAL (JORDAN) INC., www.remax-quebec.om

C. 514-919-8468    tanya@readysetsold.ca


This blog is written with my opinions. My opinions are presented with accuracy but not guarantees. Copyright Tanya Nouwens - 2015. If you want to reprint parts of this, just email me for my permission at tanya@readysetsold.ca.

 

Nancy Conner
Olympia, WA
Olympia/Thurston County WA

Moving can sure give you that incentive to think thru what you truly "need" !  I'm getting ready to downsize in the future and walking thru the house thinking about what I would really, really want to take with me was a huge eye opener - more that I am willing to part with than things that I would move with me!  Nice tho as now I can start moving out that stuff that didn't make the cut - LOL

Jun 27, 2011 07:47 AM
Tanya Nouwens
Immeubles Deakin Realty - Montreal West Island, QC
Montreal Real Estate Broker & Stager

Nancy, I think one of the reasons we all like being at a cottage so much is because it is usually down to the essentials. There's room to breathe and beautiful simplicity in only having what we love and/or need.  Good for you for getting on the road to there right now!

Jun 27, 2011 08:00 AM
Peter Pfann @ eXp Realty Pfanntastic Properties in Victoria, Since 1986.
eXp Realty, Victoria BC www.pfanntastic.com - Victoria, BC
Talk To or Text Peter 250-213-9490

Hi Tanya,

Great point to ponder, and we too often reflect on what it all takes to make a move. I think it should be part of our licensing requirement to move at least once every 5 years, so that we know what we put our clients thru

Happy Canada day week

Jun 27, 2011 08:31 AM
Tanya Nouwens
Immeubles Deakin Realty - Montreal West Island, QC
Montreal Real Estate Broker & Stager

Oh I agree, Peter and Linda.  Putting your house on the market and moving create such upheaval. It's good for us to be reminded of that.  Happy July 1st to you too!

Jun 27, 2011 08:47 AM
Ellen Caruso
Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty - Glen Head, NY

Tanya, I've moved about every 6 years....the best part about moving is getting rid of clutter, and starting fresh.

Jun 27, 2011 01:19 PM
Robert Butler
Aspect Inspection - Montreal West Island, QC
Montreal Home Inspector | Aspect Inspection

Yeah, Tanya, I've been in the same house for over 20 years and I've got the bins to prove it, plus a couple of sheds outside.

Jun 27, 2011 04:42 PM
Tanya Nouwens
Immeubles Deakin Realty - Montreal West Island, QC
Montreal Real Estate Broker & Stager

I agree, Ellen.  Reminds of that movie with Cher and Winona Ryder, Winona playing Cher's daughter -- was the movie called Mermaids maybe?  In one of the first scenes, the family has moved, again.  And Winona is furiously hammering her pictures into the walls of her new bedroom.  Cher asks what she's doing and Winona replies, "Putting everything back where it was before!" to which Cher says, "But honey, one of the great things about moving is being able to put everything in a different place."

Robert, isn't amazing how our stuff grows exponentially according to the amount of space we have? :)

Jun 28, 2011 01:09 AM
Cherise Selley
Selley Group Real Estate, LLC - Colorado Springs, CO
Colorado Springs Realtor

Tanya,

Personally, I miss reading your blogs.  And yes, we constantly de-cluttering, and even now, we're converting our oldest son's (23) room into an office, so we're clearing many things out of our basement as well.  He's getting married on July 29th, and will be living in Australia for awhile... g

Jun 28, 2011 05:23 AM
Susan Haughton
Long and Foster REALTORS (703) 470-4545 - Alexandria, VA
Susan & Mindy Team...Honesty. Integrity. Results.

And I thought I was the only one with clutter!  Boy, are we ever finding it as we start de-cluttering our house in order to move!  Aarrgghh!  We have never sold before buying another house - very lucky - but if I had to get this house "show ready" before moving, I am not sure I could actually do it.  LOL

Jun 28, 2011 03:27 PM
Jane Peters
Home Jane Realty - Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles real estate concierge services

This is something like when the ashtray in your car is full you need to sell it.  I think it would be cheaper to organize a de-clutter day once a year.

Jun 28, 2011 06:24 PM