Do your fondest memories live in your heart or in your stuff?
I first heard that statement from TV personality and organizing guru Peter Walsh many years ago on TLC's Clean Sweep. One of his television clients was complaining about his asking her to part with items that had belonged to a family member that had passed away. He politely replied that the memories of that person belongs in your heart not in their stuff and NO ONE can take that away from you. (As an after note please see my comment #9...I'm thrilled)
That was an ah ha moment for me. I have since used this line of thinking when considering what to keep and what to donate or trash from my own home.
Now, I use similar statements with our Fresno, Madera and Mariposa County home staging and decorating clients. 
When working with a decorating clientand we're discussing developing a design style, things like "Aunt Susie's tea cup collection"frequently get in the way. So I ask them if they LOVE that item and if their response isn't an immediate YES I do love it, then I give them a reply similar to Peter's. With that most seem to understand and they move forward with the changes that they really want and they hired me to achieve.
When working with a staging client, for their occupied home, personal stuff is commonly an issue. Clutter eats equity and a personalized space, filled with mementos and collections, make it difficult for potential buyers to imagine their belongings in that house. Also, every square foot, of a house for sale, has a value and if potential buyers cannot see every nook and cranny, then their interest is often thwarted. After pointing out these two major dilemmas, I then follow with the "love of their stuff" discussion and I strongly, but politely, tell them that items that are truly of value (to your pocketbook or to your heart) need to be packed up and stored NOW, for risk prevention and peace of mind.
I NEVER recommend that my clients, trash their possessions. Peter Walsh, the organizing expert, may be able to do that but I cannot. With decorating clients, if the article(s) are loved, we work them into the decorating plan. For staging clients, I provide them with packing boxes and bubble wrap.
Realtor ®, consider what words you can use, similar to those which Peter Walsh has used repeatedly and successfully, to help your clients move forward and get their house sold.
If you simply do not want to discuss these issues with your listing clients that is understandable and probably wise. Consider asking a professional home stager to be the bad guy and they can gently break the news to your clients. As a Realtor, your clients look to you for expert advice and if you are not honest and forthright with them, who can they trust to help them sell that house.
Help your client understand that our fondest memories of loved ones always remain in our heart.
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Dream Interior Redesign and Staging by Ginger Foust is a full service, licensed and insured CSP ® Professional Home Stager , Interior ReDesign/Decorating Specialist, consulting and training company.
Locally serving the California foothill and mountain communities of: Oakhurst, North Fork, Bass Lake, Coarsegold, Ahwahnee, Wawona and Mariposa. Also serving areas of: Fresno, Clovis and Madera, California and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
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Professional staging of vacant and occupied properties
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Virtual and Conceptual Staging Worldwide
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Professional Stager Training in California, Nevada, Idaho and Hawaii, as part of the International CSP ® training program, Certified Staging Professionals.
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CEUs (Continuing Education Units) for California Real Estate Agents as an approved RESA instructor (Real Estate Staging Association).
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Visit our website at http://www.dreamredesigns.com for more information of call 559-877-2442
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