A semi-retired doctor in his early 60s relishes his architect-designed contemporary house surrounded by splendid gardens and water features.
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Yet despite his devotion to the property, the doctor has decided to sell -- and for a happy reason. Come this June, he will remarry and move in with his new wife, in her neo-Georgian in another city. That means he must clear out his current property to ready it for showings.
“I never imagined leaving my private castle. This was supposed to be my forever house. But here I am, needing to let go of my serene sanctuary for the next chapter of my life. And I have to do it on a short timetable, ahead of my wedding,” he says.
Mark Nash, a longtime real estate analyst and broker, doesn’t know the doctor in this true story. But he says the man’s brief timetable should work to his advantage as he faces the considerable challenges of clearing through decades’ worth of possessions.
“Many older homeowners spend months and years sifting through their belongings. Retirees especially may focus on these decluttering tasks endlessly. But they gain little momentum until they face a deadline,” Nash says.
The doctor is a case in point. His living room is jam-packed with CDs and DVDs, along with seemingly countless framed photos of his grown children and now toddler-aged grandchildren. There are also lots of pictures of his two cherished cats and a long-deceased terrier.
Meanwhile, the doctor’s kitchen cabinets are overfilled with dishware, some of it inherited heirlooms. His pantry has more such collections, along with an abundance of canned delicacies and bottles of liquor collected from trips abroad. Yet the most challenging task he faces involves the need to purge the excess from his home office.
“For retiring professionals and remote workers, books, papers and documents represent a formidable and time-consuming challenge, because they must be dealt with one-by-one and can’t be discarded wholesale,” Nash says.
Professional organizers, such as Susan Pinksy, author of “The Fast and Furious 5 Step Organizing Solution,” say many sellers who operate a home-based business find the chore of decluttering especially intimidating.
“They have to figure out how to keep the company running while the house is on the market, which is extremely hard,” Pinsky says.
Why is it so tough to keep a home office looking neat?
Pinksy, who’s long worked with both business and residential clients, points to a paradox. At a time when vast quantities of information are available instantly via the internet, many people still save more papers, magazines and books than they need. They also hang on to lots of old technology -- including office equipment no longer in use.
Are you a wannabe seller with an urgent need to clear your home office? If so, these pointers could prove helpful:
-- Uplift paper culling to a priority.
Many people who have home offices are plagued with boxes and bags filled with unsorted papers. These include business reports, computer printouts, junk mail, utility bills, credit card statements and clippings from magazines and newspapers.
Very few of the papers that people keep have value to their business ventures or careers, says Pierrette Ashcroft, a productivity consultant who operates her own home-based business.
“More than 80% of the papers people save are never referred to again,” she says.
The problem for sellers is that any kind of clutter, including papers, makes a home look untidy. That can cause visitors to conclude the house has more problems than meet the eye, says Nash, author of “1001 Tips for Buying & Selling a Home.”
“Less is always more when it comes to selling your home,” Nash says.
Unfortunately, it can take more time and energy to go through papers than just about any other kind of clutter.
“You can’t just throw it all out because that box filled with junk mail might also hold your passport or the deed to your house,” he says.
-- Consider a scanner to help store papers electronically, rather than filing cabinets.
Many people who maintain home offices attempt to stay organized via extensive filing systems. But Ashcroft says that filing all but the most important papers is usually a waste of time and energy.
She urges those trying to declutter a home office to scan many of their documents into their computer rather than trying to store them in filing cabinets.
-- Dramatically reduce the size of your book collections.
Many people from all types of professional backgrounds keep bigger libraries than they ever need or use for reference.
“People have an emotional attachment to books,” Ashcroft says, noting that overflowing bookshelves are often found throughout a home, not only in the home office.
The problem for bibliophiles preparing to sell their home is that shelves crammed with books make a property seem smaller than it truly is. What’s more, it can be costly to pay a moving company to transport your books --especially if you’re making a long-distance move.
Ashcroft says sellers with substantial book collections are wise to clear through them before their property goes on the market -- dispensing with any books they no longer use. Remember, too, that many books can now be quickly and easily accessed from an e-reader, such as the Kindle sold by Amazon.
“You don’t have to cling to conventional books to keep many volumes you value. Let technology spare you,” she says.
(To contact Ellen James Martin, email her at ellenjamesmartin@gmail.com.)