It's crunch time...We are on a timeline and I think I'm going crazy. I met with 3 painters and 2 tilers today. My thoughts are we start painting March 30 or 31st. That will give us a little over a week to get cleared out a bunch of stuff. I found a storage place yesterday but we haven't started putting things in it yet.
I am struggling because my DH isn't ready to put stuff away. He thinks we should instead focus on donating and organizing. My thoughts are we put into storage the low hanging fruit of things we know we are keeping but don't need, ie my kids books. We borrow enough from the library they can live without their books. We go more than 1x/week.
This will free up tons of shelf space and tons of space period. Then we can cull through what toys to keep and what to sell or donate. That in turn will clear up space for us to work on organizing and donating.
Today I already did my first goodwill run and donated 2 bags. I lined up someone to take away for free an old pack and play and infant car seat. I also listed my maclaren double stroller and a few other items. And I donated 2 boxes of stuff to the YMCA.
I'm seriously crunching on cleaning, but I feel like my DH is dawdling on trying to "organize" rather than just accept that the more we get out the easier it'll be. It'll give us more space to work with and analyze what we can keep or not.
I've been told we should use a professional stager. Already we are paying for painters since we don't have time or energy to paint. For what I'd pay a sitter to watch my kids while I paint makes it not worth it at $30/hr then I'd still have to paint!
Do you think a professional stager worth it?
Crunch, Crunch, Crunch
March 21st, 2015 at 03:01 am
March 21st, 2015 at 03:12 am 1426907528
YOU are correct...the less stuff you have in your home the easier it is to organize...or it just looks organized because you don't have much. I hope those painters can fit into your schedule!
March 21st, 2015 at 03:36 am 1426909000
You live in a townhouse with some drawbacks. A good stager will emphasize the positive aspects of the space and minimize the negatives. Also, they will tell you which pieces to store and which to keep in the house. My opinion is they do add value.
A professional paint job will look better. A thorough cleaning by professionals, including windows inside and out might be worth the cost as well.
I'm sure you can compromise on packing stuff up and getting it into storage, especially if everything that goes to storage will get moved. You do have a time crunch, as you need to get the property on the market ASAP. More lead time would argue for DH's approach.
March 21st, 2015 at 08:40 am 1426927225
We also knew the local market extremely well - attended local home opens for 6 weeks, met with agents, crunched listing and final sales figures and days on market per agent for the past 5 months. Only having one open was such a relief!
March 21st, 2015 at 12:19 pm 1426940353
We are getting a professional painter in. And we have cleaners and I'm having them do a spring clean and telling them to do it way more than usual. I'm going to have the windows done as well.
March 21st, 2015 at 12:33 pm 1426941209
Before hiring a professional stager, I suggest you de-clutter to regift, sell, donate or trash the stuff you no longer use, need, love and enjoy by reviewing each shelf, drawer, cabinet in every room, nook and cranny. For once-a-year items consider if it would be more practical to buy gently used in your new local. That process reduces packing, unpacking and finding a new spot to address 'a place for everything and everything in it's place' challenge.
It helps buyers if every room has a clearly defined purpose. If a room has more than one role try to create a 2/3 : 1/3 ratio. For example, if a home office is also a guest bedrm, it helps to make the bed the focus of the room with nice accoutrements, and use no more than 1/3 the space for home office with desk top holding only laptop or keyboard, paper tray and pencil holder type items. A file cabinet can double as a bedside table if you artfully drape a sheet overtop.
Not everyone has small children so it can be helpful to neutralize the decor in tykes bedrms by not displaying stuffed toys and the really cute items we love to use Real Estate agents keep telling us that kitchens and bathrms are the two area that sway buyer's to reject a property or make an offer. No drawer or cupboard can look full or crowded. Kitchen counters usually hold a coffee machine, KitchenAid mixer, and crock near stove top holding non electric utensils. Internet has lists of how to designate cupboards. It's often recommended that items used for take away lunches go in drawer or shelf adjacent to fridge, pots & pans in bottom drawer of electric stove or adjacent cupboard, tableware in the cupboard nearest the table or nearest the DW etc.
Keep tub/shower area clear of products unless you decant them into restaurant type squeeze bottles [be sure to label each] and create a nice display. We kept our nicest set of towels on display in the various bathrms and hung the towels in actual use on the hooks on the back of the bathrm door. It pays to keep a jug of vinegar in the vanity cupboard and poured a cupful in the commode every night to keep the porcelain spotless.
sorry so long winded
March 21st, 2015 at 02:32 pm 1426948332
today I am donating all clothes I didn't wear over the winter. There is no point so I'm streamlining clothes. I'm telling my DH the same. I hope to clear out half the kids clothes and donate all really worn and used clothes. After two kids some stuff needs to go but at the time we just dumped it into boxes and forgot about it.
March 21st, 2015 at 02:57 pm 1426949822
March 21st, 2015 at 05:04 pm 1426957482
March 22nd, 2015 at 12:21 am 1426983717
We also starting looking at our furniture and decided since we are paying to move ourselves (previously we had a company relocation package) that a lot of furniture needs to be sold. It's not worth the value of moving it.
March 23rd, 2015 at 05:02 pm 1427130162