Moving into a New Space

A professional organizer can provide valuable help to people who are getting ready to occupy new space. Whether that new space is a condominium, a dormitory room, a new office, a refinished attic or a brand new house, the perspective of a third party with training in organizing can give a head start to saving time and living comfortably.

Small spaces are particularly challenging and ways to optimize storage with limited space was handled in a previous blog entitled “Too Little Space”. Up front consultation with a professional organizer can save a lot of hassle.

When Jane moved from home into a dormitory room which she shared with a roommate, there was no space for some of the things she brought with her to college. Her parents loaded four boxes of stuff which could not be crammed into the space and hauled it back home with them. Jane brought still more home with her when she visited. They had wasted valuable time and money purchasing items that were inappropriate for the space available.

Most colleges give lists of suggested items for purchase and dimensions for necessities like computers and refrigerators, but they fall short at suggestions for storage for other must-have items. An organizer will offer suggestions that can make the trip to college more pleasant. The hard decisions about what to take on that first trip can be made before the hectic event of actually moving in. That can save money and make those move-in trips a lot less stressful. Jane and her parents consulted with a professional organizer prior to her sophomore year. She was moving to an Honors dorm with even less space than her previous room, but no roommate. The organizer listened to the problems encountered the prior year, and made suggestions for storage and placement of Jane’s belongings. Jane’s mother reports the items that returned home with them were the tools they brought for installation of storage systems and one stuffed animal that gave up his space for a decorative pillow.
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Even when there is plenty of space, a professional organizer can be of help.

Todd and Jean were moving their family to their dream house. Todd’s mother was joining them and looking forward to occupying the mother-in-law suite built especially for her. The family had moved twice in the past five years and both times had resulted in continuation of storage problems they had lived with in previous houses. Everyone agreed they wanted this time to be different.

The professional organizer met with the family and suggested storage systems for the garage and closets, as well as placement of some items for efficient living. She assisted them in organizing the move so that items were ready for unpacking and storage when they arrived at their new home. Todd says it is the smoothest move they have ever had and the garage looks terrific even with both cars parked inside.

Moving time requires thought, planning and execution, as well as plenty of patience and hard work. A professional organizer can be helpful in all phases of the process.

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Organizing Homes for Sale

One of the times folks find themselves overwhelmed is when they are getting ready to sell a home. Even when a highly trained and competent real estate agent is working with the homeowner, there are many things that homeowners have to handle on their own. Among the most problematic is how to get the house ready for showing- especially if you have to continue to live in it. This is one of those times a professional organizer can provide an unbiased assessment of the property and develop a plan that meets the individual and family needs. Getting a home ready for showing is referred to as “staging” in the Realty industry and many professional organizers, including Key Transitions, offer staging services.

Here are a few examples of people who have found these services helpful.

Tasha, a young single professional, loved the first house she purchased but had to leave it when she accepted a promotion in a city three hours away. She initially rented the house but in the ensuing six months she had difficulty with tenants who did not pay rent on time and who damaged the house. She decided to sell and had only 5 days and a budget of $800 to get the property ready for showing. The professional organizer assessed the property and made a plan for the highest priority items that would increase the homes appeal to the widest number of buyers while remaining within the client’s limited budget. Tasha recruited family and friends to implement the plan. The organizer did a final walk through with Tasha and made suggestions to further enhance the appearance of the home.

We were delighted when Tasha reported she had an interested buyer within the first week her house was listed and closed on the property in less than 30 days.

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Harry owned a small home before he married Hannah and they lived there for three years after the wedding. Now they were ready to move to a larger home. They were counting on the equity in the home they owned for part of the down payment on the house they planned to buy. They needed to ready the house for sale and show it while they prepared for the move to their new home.

The professional organizer developed a plan that allowed them to keep their home available for showing while they lived in it. The plan dealt with the repair and painting of designated areas, placement of furnishings, organization of items that remained in the home, and the packing, storage and distribution of belongings. The plan offered step by step direction for dealing with the staging process. The organizer worked side by side with the couple to get the house ready on time for the first showing.

They had several interested buyers and closed with one of them within 30 days. They are now enjoying their new home and their new baby.

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Diane and Jessie contacted a professional organizer because they needed to clean out and prepare for sale a house occupied for forty years by their now deceased parents. This was a physically and emotionally challenging task for them and they did not know where to begin.

The professional organizer developed a plan for the organization of the belongings and prepared the home interior for an estate sale prior to the home sale. The organizer carried out the implementation of the plan with guidance and decision making by the family members. Because Key Transitions has a certified mediator on staff, we were also able to successfully mediate family disagreements regarding distribution of property.

The family was able to distribute the parent’s possessions with limited disagreement and readied the house for showing in the established time frame.

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Tom and Jane, a senior couple, were preparing to move from their long-time family home to a smaller condominium with less upkeep. The living space was decreasing from a four bedroom home with over 3000 square feet to a two bedroom home with 1900 square ft.

The professional organizer implemented a plan that sorted and downsized items in the old residence to ready for the move and designed systems for placing furniture and storage in the new residence that were safe and convenient for older owners.

The clients and their family were extremely pleased with the storage and safety considerations for the new space. They were able to retain most of their favorite furnishings and find storage options in their new home for many of their treasured possessions. Tom and Jane are enjoying their independence and the convenience the new space offers.

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Staging a house for sale is a stressful occurrence. A professional organizer can provide an unbiased assessment and plan of action that can be the key to a little peace of mind and a quicker sale.

Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.com

Meet the OSCARs

Who hires a professional organizer? Clients come in every age, size and color. They are male and female. They work in all kinds of jobs and live in all kinds of residences. They own businesses that deal with medicine, law, retail sales, personal services, warehousing and production. They are all, however, OSCARs. That stands for Overwhelmed, Smart, Courageous, Available, and Resolute.

Those who seek help from a professional organizer are OVERWHELMED by the prospect of organizing time or space, a project or event. For myriad reasons, they cannot access the resources to get it done. Some come to this realization slowly after several failed attempts at doing it themselves. Some have a flash of insight before they ever begin to tackle the task.

Fortunately, when they realize they cannot do it alone, they are SMART enough to ask for help from a capable source. Many do this by accessing the The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) resource file that is available to the public on line a www.napo.com.

Once they have identified the professional organizer that is right for them, they are COURAGEOUS enough to make the call to set an appointment with the organizer. It is not easy to ask for help and invite an unknown person to review your problem. Those who do are brave.

Once a commitment is made to hire a professional organizer, clients are AVAILABLE to make changes and learn new skills that help them achieve their goals. They work with the organizer to develop systems that support them.

Clients remain RESOLUTE to maintain environments that make them comfortable and promote their well-being. Most come to view their decision to hire a professional organizer as a turning point in reaching a happier lifestyle.

Over the next several weeks, I am going to introduce you to a few OSCARs and outline how using a professional organizer helped them achieve their goals.

Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.com