Did you know January 14 was National Organize Your Home Day? Neither did we! It makes sense though. With the bustle of the holidays over, now is the perfect time to take stock of the chaos in your home, controlled or not, and make a few changes!

If you’re even remotely thinking about selling your home in the upcoming months, starting on the process of decluttering and organizing now will make your life easier when the time comes to list your home for sale. There are other benefits too. Being organized can lead to better sleep, boost your energy, reduce stress, lower your risk for a heart attack and provide an overall happier life. Who doesn’t want to be happier?

PICK A PLACE & START

Don’t let the amount of stuff there is to do overwhelm you. Start small. Start in one place. The key is to just start. Pick one room and work from there. It may be the area that guests see the most such as the kitchen, bathroom or front entry. It might be the area that gives you the most anxiety just by looking at it such as your closet or the basement. Take 15-30 minutes each day to tackle that area. Put away items that don’t belong. Declutter the shelves. Use baskets, bins or tubs to organize items. It won’t happen overnight and that’s ok. A large space like a garage or basement will take more time than the pantry or linen closet. Doing a little every day will get you there. Once you’re done, check it off your mental list and move on to the next space. (And do a little happy dance because, why not!)

LET IT GO

When you decide to sell, you will be tasked by your REALTOR® or home stager to create a clutter-free environment. Buyers want to see the home’s features and potential, not necessarily your family heirlooms or the design choices you’ve made. Start by getting rid of that which doesn’t serve you. Anything broken should be trashed or sent to be fixed. Donate things you don’t use anymore. If you haven’t touched that kitchen stand mixer in two years, consider selling it at a garage sale or through an online app. The point is to let it all go. Those items are taking up space. And truthfully, while it may be hard to say goodbye, it probably won’t be missed.

If the home has less rather than more furniture it will likely sell faster and at a higher price point. But what do you do with all those fixtures? Now is the time to start thinking that through. If you are downsizing, the answer may be to not keep it. Give it to a family member, a young couple starting to build their life or donate to a charitable organization. Use this time of year to take an inventory of your living spaces and ask yourself does it need to be here? It might make sense to keep it where it is or perhaps there is another place where you've got more space. Move oversized or unneeded furniture to the attic, basement or storage facility.

CONSIDER GOING DIGITAL

We all have that drawer – you know the one that is stuffed to the brim with paper billing statements, CDs, DVDs or other outdated clutter. We live in the golden age of technology. Take advantage of the resources available and move to digital.

• Scan photo albums and put them on a digital picture frame. When was the last time you opened your wedding photo album? Maybe it’s time to move those images to the cloud. Digital picture frames are easy to set up (and they can be easily turned off and put away for showings)
• Organize manuals, warranties and the like into digital files on your computer. Google the name of the brand name of the appliance and “owner’s manual”. Download the PDF onto your computer than toss the paper version.
• Go paperless – bills, banking and insurance statements. Limit the number of papers that need to be sorted, filed or shredded by getting your statements via email
• Create a digital music library. With music services such as iTunes, Google Play Music, Spotify and Pandora you may not even need to keep those old records. But if you do, CDs can be simply ripped to iTunes.
• Take the whiteboard and the calendar off the wall and move it into an app. There are a ton of apps to help simplify your calendar, to do lists, menu planning or other clutter covering the walls of your home. Check out Evernote, Trello or Cozi. It may take a little trial and error to find the app that works best for you and your family. Your phone is near you all the time anyway. Take advantage and let it help keep you organized
• Scan business cards and address books into your phone contacts. Once again, there’s an app for that. The Rolodex of contact cards can be trashed. Scan them into your phone and you’ll never need to search through the bottom of the desk drawer again.

While National Organize Your Home Day is just one day of the year, it can get you started on the path to organized living. Take it one chunk at a time, don’t be afraid to eliminate what you don’t need, go digital and you’ll have a great head start on being ready to sell your home when the time is right.

If you are ready to sell, schedule a pre-listing consultation with a REALTOR® on our team by calling 678-388-1400 to. The Laura Miller Edwards Realty Group was the top-selling team in Cobb County in 2017, as awarded by the Cobb Board of REALTORS®. With over 40 years of combined experience, we work hard to be local market experts. We have built our business on results – we closed over 200 transactions last year alone. We are confident we can deliver for you. Call us now!