Spending most of my time on vacant staging jobs, it’s always mind boggling to step inside a home that has amazing potential, but looks like a pig sty because of the homeowner’s living habits. Dirty laundry piled high, dishes in the sink, dust bunnies the size of tumbleweeds rolling across the floor, surfaces that have never seen a cleaning cloth and clutter build-up in every room can be a deal breaker for buyers or guests alike.

At that point anyone visiting the home will have a hard time seeing past a homeowners unforgiving hygiene practices, this is especially true when trying to sell a home. In a perfect world sellers wouldn’t need to be living in their homes while on the market, however, the list of reasons why someone sells are endless and in many cases forces the homeowner to stay put when selling. The experience can be grueling for sellers when their personal lives become public display to strangers and their criticisms. 

One of the biggest problems they face is dealing with clutter and cleanliness.

When a homeowner hears those two “C” words, they tend to twitch and immediately get defensive about their private space. If this sounds like you, it’s important to understand why you’re collecting clutter before getting organized.

Bonnie Mincu, a Senior Certified ADHD Coach, sheds some light on how people naturally create clutter in her recent blog post, “Why We Are So Good At Clutter.” While she notes personality traits of those with Attention Deficit Disorder, this information also resonates with any homeowner. Here are three reasons why you have a disorganized home:

#1 Blinded By the Clutter

Mincu writes, “we can literally not register what is right in front of our eyes, so clutter piles up without making an impact.” Most homeowners are visually oblivious to clutter, so in order to change their mindsets home stagers tell their clients to go around the home critiquing each room as a potential buyer would, this helps them detach from the current items in the space to create more square footage in the home.

#2 Out of Sight Out of Mind

Besides a person’s visual oblivion, Mincu mentions, a person can naturally create clutter for fear of forgetting or losing their belongings. She says, “we want to keep everything out, available and within our sight,” which doesn’t help when you’re trying to create a home that feels fresh, spacious and up-to-date. To combat this problem home stagers tell homeowners to start moving or purging items around the home. That not only, begins the de-cluttering process, but if you’re selling a home it puts you in a mindset to start packing. Valuables won’t be forgotten or lost just packed up or removed so you have more to live a new organized lifestyle.

#3 Clutter Overload

Mincu believes, that it’s hard for a person to clear clutter because the process is overwhelming and in some cases a person may have difficulty letting go of their belongings. Homeowners that have a considerable amount of clutter can spend hours on this task dwelling over each item, “most of us want to hold on to things with the idea of I might need it someday,” said Mincu. That’s why this type of homeowner needs help to sort through their belongings quickly, choosing what stays and what gets packed, donated or sold.
All homes should be organized to live a stress-free life. It’s important to start small take one closet, one corner or one drawer and start going through your belongings. I like to start my organizing projects in the closets. A closet usually is the first to get disorganized, has items you no longer use and forces other areas of your home to be messy. So, why not start there with this FREE Closet Checklist, click on the image below to grab your checklist!

Homeowners need to be responsible for daily cleaning touch ups to maintain an organized home, which can be extremely difficult for those who are impatient or are easily distracted. Mincu writes, ”we don’t want to stop what we’re doing to put things away or we pick something up and may carry it into another room without being aware that we have.” If a homeowner naturally creates clutter this way, a home stager may recommend hiring a weekly cleaning service while on the market.
If you want more help getting organized check out our new online home organizing class called, “LOSE THE CLUTTER: HABITS THAT COULD MAKE OR BREAK YOUR HOME ORGANIZING GOALS IN 2016.” You’ll learn:

•  How to identify your clutter and why clutter could be building up in your home.
• You’ll also get an organizing plan to take action immediately.
• We’ll explain simple ways to let go of your belongings and implement a quick clutter-free method experts use.
• How to create an organizing system that works best for you by evaluating the needs of your household.
• Plus, get tips on organizing key areas of your home– including the entryway, kitchen & bath. 
• Ways to contain those items you’re going to keep with some clever storage solutions. 

When you have an organized home life becomes just a little bit easier. You Save Space. You Save Time. You Save Money. Start your organizing plan today to become stress-free tomorrow click here to sign up or on the image below to claim your seat now.

Let me know in the comment section below what you plan on organizing in your home this year! I’d love to hear from you…
Happy Organizing,