How did we seem to accumulate so much ‘stuff’?  Somehow, we made our home a place to shelter us, but also all our belongings and – let me call it like it is – junk.  Yep.  I blamed the kids’ toys, but actually I think that I was the worst “junk” collector. Picture frames, vacation souvenirs, decorative items, trinkets and books seemed to multiply in the first 4 years we lived in our first home.

I had dusted, cleaned and “staged” our treasures (aka clutter) for the first appointment we had with a Realtor® when we decided it was time to move to a larger home. I loved the memories associated with our things – weekend trip to Paris, honeymoon to Switzerland, family vacation to Germany. Each item was unique.

So when our Realtor® did the first walk through to get a good impression of the home, the first thing she said, and I kid you not, “half of the belongings need to be packed up, the other half needs to be out of the way”.  REALLY?!

My husband LOVED that initial appointment with the Realtor®. To this day he still jokes about it! We were highly motivated to sell so we took the advice. It made the space look less personal, but it also shortened my cleaning time! Bonus!

We were given tips to declutter the home and have it prepped for future showings. I think any homeowner can do most of these without too much trouble, and it doesn’t cost a penny!

1. Remove any furniture not in use in a room. Your home will appear larger
2. Make sure you can easily walk through each room without bumping into items.
3. Exercise equipment doesn’t belong in a living room. Move it to a space where people should expect it.
4. All closets should be tidy and thinned out. You can do this by just separating summer and winter wardrobe.
5. Keep counters in the kitchen and bathrooms bare. Essentials only!
6. Plants need to be thriving, otherwise they don’t help make your home look appealing.
7. Always clean up dirty laundry and make the beds. You might want to check under them, too!
8. Try to make cords and wires from televisions and computers neater and organized.
9. Organize the shoes that may be laying around on your closet floor or mudroom.
10. Take a good look at your bookcase and take some time to arrange books neatly.
11. Clear off any non-essentials from your deck or porch.
12. Remove anything that is no longer necessary to have from your garage.
13. Remember to declutter your yard as well!

So when your Realtor® mentions cleaning up the clutter…don’t worry, they say it to almost everyone!

Let it go!