Category: Declutter

Clutter Free Gifts

4/15/2018

What to give the person who has everything? How do you acknowledge loved ones / friends without cluttering up their life with more, well, "stuff"? Give the gift of time, of experiences shared, and memories to treasure.

I came across a great blog from 365 Things, and encourage you to explore these clutter-free gift ideas:

CLICK HERE

At a recent Destress, Dejunk, Declutter workshop I gave out prizes and what did they win? Starbucks gift cards. Why? I encouraged the audience to treasure the gift of a leisurely cup of coffee with a dear friend. What else can you do? Give your grandchildren memories, not stuff. Drop in to see that elderly neighbor who rarely comes out. The gift of a listening ear is more valuable than any doo-dad, tchotchke or souvenir.

Give us a thumbs up and share this blog with your loved ones. You may be the trend-setting pioneer in your family / circle of friends!

Alana Light

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Organizing Tip: If it's Visible Make it Lovely

9/6/2017

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An attractive bowl hides the daily necessities (vitamins, etc.)

Recently I was in TX teaching a live Destress Dejunk Declutter workshop, and we talked about a principle that I’d like to share with you. After you’ve decluttered your home, and everything that you have is really a reflection of who and what you are today, how do you know what to display and how to do it in a way that makes your home look its best? In other words, how can you make sure the things you need every day, don’t look, well, junky?

I have a simple principle that’s the guiding light when it comes to what to keep out:

WHATEVER IS VISIBLE IS USEFUL *and* LOVELY.

Repeat after me, "Whatever is visible is useful AND lovely."

Kitchen: heart of the home & clutter magnet

How can you apply this in your home? Let’s start in the kitchen, probably the most clutter-catching area in the home. After you have decluttered your kitchen counters, you only have out the things you use every day. Let's say you like to cook, but those jars, cannisters and items just junk up the counters - what do you do with them? Corral your clutter by placing baking / cooking items on an oversized tray. Just like that, you have a still life - instead of a mess.

Staying in the kitchen - I see a lot of homes where people have lots of snacks out on the countertops. If this is you, here’s a suggestion. Grab an over-sized basket or mixing bowl – like a mixing bowl or an interesting serving bowl you use when you host dinner parties. Place your snacks in the basket or bowl – potato chip bags, granola bars, small tin of nuts… whatever your family likes to nibble on, just put them all in the over-sized bowl on your kitchen counter. Now, instead of a disorderly pile of bags and such, you have one single container with all the snacking goodies. Visible, useful and attractive. See how this works? And the benefit of this particular application of this principle, is that when you have a movie night, you can just grab the bowl and head for the couch.

Snack basket makes everything attractive and easy to grab

Master Bathroom

The next most cluttered room in the home usually is the master bathroom. If you have an assortment of lotion bottles, perfume, hair spray and what-nots, and you want to keep them out, let’s take it from cluttered jumble to an attractive display. How? Grab a tray and put all those misc. necessities on the tray. There’s a book about how to do the "adulting" thing, and they talk about this principle. Anything and everything looks better when put on a tray!

Or if you're like me and you have a seeming jumble of hair appliances (how many curling irons do I really need?!?), here's another idea. Put all the daily hair necessities into an attractive basket– and you have instant charm. Now instead of jumbled mess, you have an orderly composition – a still life – a study in loveliness on your bathroom counter. Every morning your organized bathroom says, "Well done, you!"

Visible. And. Beautiful.

Whatever you have out visible, make it look much nicer by putting things together in a basket, bowl or on a tray. This tip takes minimum effort but has a big impact. Reach over and pat yourself on the back.

Happy organizing, Give this a thumbs up.

~Alana Light

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Stage your House for Sale

7/14/2016

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Let’s talk about getting your place ready for sale. In addition to helping people decorate their homes, I prepare homes prior to listing utilizing what you already have. Recently I taught a workshop on how to stage your own home in order to appeal to the widest number of buyers in your market. A student took the principles I taught, and she staged and successfully sold not one but TWO homes! These principles really work.

Before you go on the MLS, here are a few pointers:

CURB APPEAL: You have only 30 seconds to catch someone’s attention. When the potential buyers drive up to your home, they have a choice to get out of the car or not. Be sure the weeds are pulled, the yard is trimmed, and the front walk is in good repair. You want your front door to be freshly refinished or repainted. Make sure the door handles are in top shape – replace them if needed. Clean off the cobwebs from the porch. If your front porch light is tired, then get some Rustoleum and repaint it, or replace it! Put a pot or two of beautiful annual flowers by the front door. Remember, while the real estate agent is fiddling with the lock box, the buyers are going to be standing at your front door, making critical judgement. You want everything to be in top notch shape. For inspiration, see my Pinterest board on first impressions.
SPEND VS SAVE: When it comes to selling your house, it’s not your taste that matters, it’s what is appealing to buyers today that really matters. Spend your $$ where it really matters, where you will get the most bang for your buck when it’s time to sell. On that point, The national association of the remodeling industry states that the best remodeling things you can do that cost <$1000 are: re-grout bathroom tile & replace all the caulking, get new faucets for the kitchen and master bathroom, remove dated wallpaper, replace dated lighting (and it’s easy to do so economically if you go thru Lamps Plus or Wayfair.com), update your flooring, and attend to the garage door / garage floor. Bottom line? Spend your $$ where you will get the most return when it’s time to sell.
The 3 F’s FINALLY FIX THE FORGOTTEN: When the potential buyer sees a broken door handle, hears a running toilet or a dripping faucet, they think, “Hmm, if the homeowner didn’t fix this, I wonder what else the homeowner did not fix?” They’re quickly subtracting $$ from your asking price, expecting the home repairs and deferred maintenance to be astronomical. Save yourself stress and tension during the home inspection, fix what needs attention. Besides, you would not want to purchase a home with lots of hidden problems. Do unto others as you would have others do to you. If you’re getting ready to sell, remember the 3 F’s: Finally Fix the Forgotten.

BEFORE: a worn finish and old door handle

AFTER: a little paint and a new door handle. Ready for sale!

IT’S JUST PAINT: Listeners of my show "Make Your House a HOME" have heard me say it before and I’ll say it again. Paint is the least expensive way to dramatically transform a room. There’s something about a fresh coat of neutral paint. It creates a blank canvas for the buyer to envision their own furnishings in the space, and it feels like this home was loved and cared for. My favorite painter shared the tip on how to get those perfect lines, between the baseboard and the wall color. Use regular masking tape and a tiny bit of caulk along the line between the masking tape and the wall – you’ll get perfect lines every time.
EDIT the EXTRAS: If you open a closet and everything is jammed inside, or if things always fall on top of you, you need this tip. When you're on the market, the potential buyers are going to open the cupboards and closets. They’re not nosy – they want to see if there’s enough room for their stuff! You are moving anyway. Get a head start and pack up at least 50% of the clothing and tchotchkes. Your property will show better.
DE-PERSONALIZE. The way we live is very different from the way we present the house when it’s time to sell. You have to take YOU out of the property in order for the buyer to picture themselves there. No, the family portraits do not make the home look more homey. They are an impediment to the buyers picturing themselves in the space. Pack up those photos and trophies,
USE DESIGNER SECRETS when presenting the property in the best possible light. Get rid of excess furniture. Make sure every room is inviting. Hire a professional to look at your property with an objective eye. Use design principles when styling each room. Alana Light is available for in-person or e-consultations to help you. Email Alana Light here.

BEFORE: Tired wallpaper dated the space

Hire a pro to remove or skim coat over the wallpaper

AFTER: Sold!

GOT PURPOSE? Give each room a definite purpose. Buyers do not want to see a junk room. Maybe you remember what it looks like de-cluttered, but buyers have no imagination. Remove dated elements (such as the wallpaper above). Give each room a purpose. Convert that junk room to a meditation room or a kids' creative crafting space. Show potential buyers what can be done with that space. Show the buyers what they can do with each and every space.
FINISHING TOUCHES: This is the fun part. Tell a story about who can live in the property. Maybe you don’t have children, or they’re grown & gone, but your neighborhood has lots of families. In that instance the likely buyer will be a family, so stage your home accordingly. When we sold our home in California, that was exactly the situation for us. Our school district was well known, and the elementary school was nearby. We staged the secondary bedrooms as kids rooms, and we made sure to put up the local school newsletter on the bulletin board in one room. The local high school had a successful tennis team, so in the other bedroom we staged it as a teenager’s room, complete with a tennis racket and the local tennis team’s picture on that bulletin board. Be creative. Have fun telling the story of who will live there next.
REMEMBER SPIRIT: You’ve done all these tips, and chosen the right real estate professional. (See my previous blog on how to choose the right one for you.) You’ve de-cluttered, depersonalized and staged the home. Now I suggest that you offer up a prayer of thanks for what you’ve experienced in that property. Ask that Divine Spirit brings the God-chosen buyer to make their own memories in the space.

Happy selling..... and best wishes to you in your next chapter of life. I always love hearing from you. Leave your comment below.

~Alana Light

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B L O G

Clutter Free Gifts

Organizing Tip: If it's Visible Make it Lovely

Kitchen: heart of the home & clutter magnet

Master Bathroom

Stage your House for Sale

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