Fairfax County VA Home Search Website Blog

Have you made your New Year’s Resolution to de-clutter your home?  Are you thinking of putting your home on the market?  Owners of Alexandria VA homes for sale need to de-clutter their home prior to putting it on the real estate market.  This will help it sell faster and for more money.  De-cluttering can seem like a daunting process, but if you follow these few suggestions, you’ll be on your way to keeping your New Year’s Resolution.

Work in Small Bits of Time
It’s best to break the project down into smaller pieces.  You could work as little as fifteen minutes at a time or up to a few hours, if you prefer.  Just be sure to pick a time frame that doesn’t overwhelm you.  Set a timer to make sure you quit when the time is up.  Here’s a great online timer you can use.

Pick a Room
Choose one room to start in. It doesn’t have to be the messiest room, just one you think you can handle. Look for a shelf or closet that needs sorting, and don’t forget to look under your bed. If the whole room is in need of de-cluttering, start in the corner farthest from the door.

Gather Supplies
Wait!  Don’t just dive in.  Before you’re ready to start sorting through your Alexandria VA home, you’ll need to find a couple of boxes and trash bags. Label the boxes with KEEP and GIVE AWAY.  You’ll use the trash bags for stuff that isn’t useful to anyone and needs to be thrown away.

KEEP: These items are useful or have sentimental value.  Here’s a good rule of thumb:  If you can’t remember why you kept it, it’s time to let it go.

• KEEP: These items are useful or have sentimental value. Here’s a good rule of thumb:  If you can’t remember why you kept it, it’s time to let it go!
• GIVE AWAY: Some of the stuff you’ve accumulated may be useful to someone else.  If you loved it once, most likely someone else will too. Clothes that don’t fit anymore go in here, and anything in good condition that you haven’t used in six months. After all, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.
• TRASH: Anything that didn’t make it into the first two boxes goes here.  Clothes that are beyond repair, household items you don’t use and out-of-date magazines that can take up a lot of space are all trash.  Remember to shred anything that has your social security number or other sensitive information on it.  If you have a lot of things to shred, there are services that will pick up the materials and shred them for you at amazingly reasonable rates.

Be honest with yourself about what you should keep.  Before you keep that favorite sweater that hasn’t fit in years, check your “honesty” radar.  In no time at all, you’ll have your Alexandria home de-cluttered and ready for sale. And, you’ll have kept your New Year’s Resolution this year!

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BUYERS
Are you thinking of buying one of the many Alexandria VA homes for sale?  I’d love to talk with you and together we’ll find out what type of home best fits your needs and mortgage budget.  Give me a call at 703-909-3939 or email Steve@HomeSearchWebsite.com today!

Steve Hawkins
Long and Foster REALTORS®
Springfield, Virginia
www.HomeSearchWebsite.com
Steve@HomeSearchWebsite.com
703-909-3939