When In Doubt – Throw it Out

When we first started out, me and my wife were labeled by the doormen, Leon Love and Willie Wood, as the “couple with a lot of stuff.” We got such a complex that we would take the back entrance. We moved a lot back then. 1993 was the condo in Chicago. 1996 to Deerfield Illinois in the burbs. 2000 to the townhouse in Jupiter. And 2002 to our current home in Jupiter.

The best part about moving four times in ten years is you don’t have time to accumulate plenty of junk. Excess stuff can be thrown in the basement in Northern and Midwest states. In Florida the basement becomes the garage and the guest bedroom. By the time we go to list a home, the accrual of things becomes a clutter of distraction.

A few times over the years I’ve walked into listings where the clutter of surplus is so overwhelming that I politely figure out a way to leave if I know I’m not dealing with a full deck. If I think there is a chance, it’s bluntly. “Please reduce this by 75% and then I can help you with staging”. Sometimes people are so attached to the emotion of things, and one party really doesn’t want to move because of its acknowledgment of relocating on to a new stage of life. Who says a minor (mine was psychology) doesn’t come in handy?

Here are 5 tips in dealing with stuff.

1. “When in doubt throw it out.”

That is my mom’s quote. You can’t hesitate or feel too sentimental. To the point, my mom threw out Tootsie’s ashes when they moved to a smaller place. Before you send hate mail to mom, you have to know that she does still have their paw prints and is the best fur baby mama. Chi-Chi and Pépé get homemade food, spa treatments, and even get special oxygen treatment for parts unknown. But she said, when I go, who is going to want this? From now on paw prints might be a more joyful and practical memory. We personally have 3 sets of pet ashes, and I don’t know who is who is anymore!?! Before I go down a rabbit hole which I can’t get out of, “when in doubt throw it out”, applies to anything. Have a few special memento keepers but the rest of the stuff needs to go.

2. Are you taking it with you to the next place?

This is a question I always ask a client. Furniture, TV’s, clothing, dated bedspreads. If we don’t want it there because the dated belongings hurt the overall vibe, get rid of it now. Furthermore, if a new bedspread for example will make the room look better, buy it now and get rid of the old one.

3. The Model Home Rule

If it’s older in style, nobody wants it. Think about this…. Would a builder put your furniture and decoration in their model home?

4. One Room at a Time

When thinning things out, take one room at a time. If you are planning on selling your home and putting it on in November, that gives you 10 weeks starting from now to get your home ready. Divide the house into one or two sections a week. It won’t be as vast that way.

5. Guest Bedrooms and the Garage

Nobody looks in the closets of the guest bedrooms. If it’s a must and you don’t want a storage unit, you can section off a part of the garage if it looks organized. However, this is a worst-case scenario because it will damage the price by showing you don’t have enough room. Like my mom says, it is better to throw the stuff out than to throw money out in getting a lower price.