ERA Justin Realty Report:  Fall Selling with Humor. Ready, Get Set, Toss

ERA Justin Realty’s Realtor Grace Tirrito offers tips with a smile in getting those closets ready for the sale of your house. “For many, we hardly want to think about closets, but the day is nearing, hour by hour. When Grace arranges for an open house or appointment, you will no doubt make sure everything is tidy and clean. The dishes are put away, beds made, litter box cleaned. But, what about your closets?   Storage is a number one priority with home buyers. They want to make sure they have a place to put their stuff. Will your closets prove to be a selling point?
Ready? Here’s how it goes. You get a phone call. Friends are dropping by for a few minutes, so you put everything into the closet – toys, coats and whatever. When your guests leave, you swear you will get to it tomorrow. Sometimes, tomorrow never comes. After a while, it becomes hard to close the door and you do not remember what is in there. It is now time to de-clutter and de-stress.
Everyone loves lots of closet space. Closets are where we keep clothing, shoes, and storage for seasonal items, sports equipment, linens and the endless supply of home necessities. The problem is it can become an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ issue. Since these things reside behind a closed door, they do not get much thought until the day we absolutely have to have that one thing in the very back.
It is not going to go away by itself, so take time to tackle it head on and get organized. Allow lots of time for this task. You probably won’t be able to get through it in a day or even a weekend. Remember, it took you a long time to accumulate these items. You cannot expect to clean them all out in a few hours. You might want to tackle this chore in chunks of time, allowing a few weekends to get totally through the process.
You will find yourself agonizing over many decisions. The rule is, if you haven’t worn it for 2 years, toss it. If it is a gift that Aunt Emma gave you 5 years ago and something you will never use, give it away. (Just don’t tell Aunt Emma.) Pretend to yourself you are moving to smaller quarters, and you can only take the things you truly love. If you are having trouble, enlist the help of a friend who can be relentless.
Begin with clothing and shoes. Most of us keep favorites around far too long. ‘I’m sure I can get back into that dress soon.’ It only takes up valuable space in your home. Donate it to a charity. There is someone out there who will put your items to good use.
Think about your lifestyle as you are making these choices. Maybe your former employment was in an office and you needed to wear suits every day. Your current employment is a more casual job and your attire now reflects this attitude. Keep your favorite two suits and take the others to a second hand store or give them away. Retain clothing that works for your current way of living, not how you used to live.
Place everything in piles: (1) Keepers; (2) Maybes or Yard Sale; and (3) Donations. It might also help to obtain some of the organized storage available for closets. These are especially useful for those small items such as ties and belts. Everything will be neater and you will be able to find things quicker.
Toys and seasonal items are a little more difficult. If the kids have outgrown those old skates, pass them down to a friend. Holiday decorations can tug at your heartstrings, but if they are broken or no longer hold their luster, out they should go.  If you cannot bear to part with them, pack them in a storage box. By the time the de-cluttering is finished you should have room left over. Books, toys and clothing that is going to a charity should be boxed up or placed in plastic bags. If you are considering a yard sale, try to tag as you go along.
When you start sorting through paperwork, promise yourself to handle each piece only once. Papers that belong to other family members should be sorted and then handed over to that individual. Control newspaper and magazine pile-up by vowing to discard each issue by the time the next one arrives. On Sunday, Saturday’s paper goes out whether or not it has been read. The same thing goes for magazines. Some offices or charities are happy to have them, especially hospital waiting rooms. As for regular bills, they can be organized with a portable file box.”
“There is a difference in real estate companies,” Grace continued, “Presenting consumer information, we believe, is in order to exceed sellers expectations of what ERA Justin Realty is about, as we don’t offer just the basics.    In that way, we know that our sellers will hold us in the highest regard.  Our sellers have put their thoughts in writing. We have on file for the asking, ‘What people are saying’ our report of over 700 quotes and testimonials from our sellers and buyers many seen in our television commercials. No other area real estate firm offers that.  Are we proud?  Absolutely!”