Hi, we’re looking for professional de clutters and cleaners first.

2 months ago

We need help with decluttering and cleaning first before we begin anything. My husband has Parkinson's, and I have major back issues., We're looking for decent prices and appreciate whatever feedback you can give. Thank you so much. Then we want to put in new carpet first and then begin from there to remodel our kitchen and two bathrooms, paint, the whole nine yards., I appreciate it. We want to keep our price at a minimum, please., But want good quality to sell our home and go into a Senior Living home. I hope that makes sense. Lol.

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Comments (5)

Kendrah
2 months ago
There is a whole lot to unpack in your post. Let's see if we can help. From helping family members with Parkinson's and suffering from major back issues myself, I understand your limitations. I've downsized and moved family into assisted living.

1. How big is your home? How many bedrooms? When you say Senior Living home, will you be going into an apartment - how big? It is helpful to know what exactly what to keep, and how much storage space you will have before you start decluttering. Change you attitude from 'what do I want to get rid of' to 'what do I want to keep' and then dispose of all the rest.

2. Do you need help deciding what to keep? Do you need somone to coach you through this process? If so, you pay the going rate in your area for a professional organizer. (Where do you live?) If you don't need hand holding but just need someone to physically sort, move, and get rid of belongings, you just need to hire an able bodied person to help you and it will be much less expensive.

3. Explain to us where you live, what the homes are like in your area, what they sell for and who buys them. Are there other homes on your street in the same interior condition as yours? What did they sell for and how long are they on the market?

It is often much more sensible to declutter your home and sell it for a lower price and let the buyer put in new everything. You will NEVER make your money back installing new kitchen, bathrooms, etc. Sell your home for less to a young couple who doesn't have as much money and is eager to DIY as their budget allows.

You are a caregiver. You have mobility issues. You do not need to be shlepping around town with cabinet door samples, looking at tiles, flooring sample boards, paint chips, acessing appliances, negotiating with contractors. It is a TON of work.

Do as little to your house as you can get away with to put it on the market. Everything sells when it is priced right.

4. Add some pictures of your current space. We can give you and idea of what to do to stage it to put it on the market. Show us your bathrooms, your kitchen. Take a pic of your carpet.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
2 months ago
IMO get help with the declutter and packing and leave the rest for the new owner . Carpet does not sell homes BTW it is usally now is the first thing ripped out so save the money . Decluttering and packing are what you need to get done first then a good cleaning if needed . 2 very different things not usually done by one person or company. THis service unfortulatel is not cheap but for sure needed if you are dwonsizing. I do agree think of what you NEED to live in the new place and get rid of the rest . MY Mom had some really nice furniture so she got a dealer to buy it all when she sold a big house and moved into a condo she had fun getting a new look. I think you need to check out what is available in your are for the chores you need done and maybe contact senior help places they might have info.
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I appreciate the suggestions. I know it is hard trying to "solve" someone else's situation. I think maybe it is more moral support. MIL does not want, at this time, to set anything aside or take anything, other than perhaps some clothing, to Goodwill. She wants me and DH (who is her DS) to come and identify things we might want. I believe she probably wants the other available children and grandchildren to do the same. She says she does not want my visit to be used sorting into piles--just looking over and saying yea or nay, I believe. I'm certainly planning to nudge her a little on that when we go visit, as in, we're here, we're free, why don't we do some sorting? But I'm not real optimistic. What is frustrating is that I've already "reviewed" all of the china and many other items on past visits, but apparently that did not register, as she keeps mentioning the same items. That is just part of her letting go issue, though, I think, or kind of, this is your last chance! Yes, the company has a website, national listings, says it's bonded. Of course there is more that can be investigated to be sure. I'm not too keen on storing stuff--in their situation. I think the biggest issue is getting down to deciding do they think they need to have a "living" estate sale of the items they don't want to take with them. This is actually a big roadblock because a) it inhibits "letting go" of stuff, because it's being "saved" for the estate sale, rather than taking stuff bit by bit to Goodwill (or whereever) b) they can't really have the sale until they move out, and further can't have the sale until they've moved out AND removed a large volume of other stuff, like papers, and they're not working on that now and c) it doesn't make sense to tightly box up lots of stuff for estate sale (unless using one of those types of companies that holds it off-site),. So it may be possible for me to try to engage them in a discussion of, to have an estate sale, you would need to pursue strategy #1--estate sale readiness and also try to consider costs of doing vs. proceeds; if you forego estate sale, your de-cluttering strategy is then #2 approach. It's not so much that one is wrong or right, but just the pros and cons. It's interesting because, with all of their "stuff" and if priced right for vintage items, I think it would bring a fair amount of money, so you hate so sound like, oh, just give it away, when talking to people about their home furnishings and china and things of a lifetime. But, if you were to factor in a $10k fee plus estate sale percentage plus, perhaps, the constraints of the professional person , you then begin to ask, is the reason you need to have such a person, and such a sale, just because you think you need to have the sale, whereas,if you could just let go, your DS's and DIL's could be, and could have been, doing stuff for you all along the way.
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Those are all good ideas. I already have some experience with keeping track of various papers and with filing systems--I have "my own" filing areas for the kids, for family health records, for my hobbies, and when each of my parents (who were divorced) developed health problems and dementia, I kept all their accounts, papers, mail, sales of homes, etc in "my" study. And I have some idea of how I would set up a filing system for all of this other stuff if I were doing it all for me. What is a bit more difficult is first, getting to the point where I can help and second, trying to see whether "we" are setting up a filing system that works for him, or me, or both. Meaning, what's a bit new in my thinking is whether ultimately he might never be able to keep up any system and so I take over more of the system and the filing and then tell HIM where stuff is, or whether he would collaborate and let me be "the consultant" so if h e wants labelled shoeboxes instead of files, that's fine, etc.--what I am trying to go to a new level on is, how to "feel out" the situation as to whether he is overwhelmed and will never ask for help but really wants it, or whether it is some line I can't cross. So I'm moving into being more pro-active but trying (very hard for me, sometimes!) to keep saying to myself, remember the big picture, the long haul, and not instant gratification, and also, bite my tongue when I'm tired and cranky and feel like saying something that is accusatory. Since he almost never asks for help, with anything, we all in our family probably think of him as invincible, and I'm kinda hopeful that he might actually want help if it's done right. harrietthehomeowner, I don't think outside help is right for him. But again, what will help me most in trying to do something now is to focus on family needs--that clearly I would never be able to take over, or even help out, with our papers and stuff if anything happened to him(illness or other) and I'm hoping even he can see that that would be a bad situation for our family. Whereas, if it's the guy's toolshed or hobby shop, you could just shut your eyes. cocontom, great point about the electronic conversions--he is actually the most "on line" person in the family and is probably receptive to doing more--mostly we have the busy-syndrome, where you have to make yourself carve out time to do things that will save time in the long run. One thing that is obvious is that I will have to find an extended period of time--don't have that until later in the fall--to actually start the project physically, but could be planning what types of shelving or filing equipment needed. I'm free to play around with floorplans on my own! This is one of those things where, since you can't move in the room, you need to haul everything out and say, what goes back in? It's like, you can't really sort through boxes of stuff until you have alternative destinations for each category. Here is one more interesting point that may test how committed I am. When we moved to this house, "his study" was to be this destination financial stuff, tools,etc, and "my study" was the combo guest room, photo file repository, various family-use items, and whatever I wanted, I guess. So I have guest linens, out of season decorations, hobby supplies, gift wrap, family mementos from my parents, and just "stuff" of mine, pretty well organized. And folks can get and use stuff from there, or I can get it for them. So--and wonder if folks can relate to this--I have a tendency to think I am using my space "well" for the family and he is not. You know how as the DW, you tend to think that ultimately all spaces are yours--it's hard to view any areas as sacred and off-limits to your organization and cleaning and meddling. So, if it somehow turned out that he could not "share" this filing concept, but said, well, if you're going to take over, do it somewhere else than my room, I don't know if I'm big enough to sacrifice my space to put all of it--I would have to completely re-do how my space is organized and would not have room for some of the fluff and stuff I have. I don't think that would happen, but I just wondered.
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YAY!! Made progress with cleaning and de-cluttering today!!))
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Today "should" be Day 16---- Day 10 (October 17th) was the last time I posted here, so have a lot of catching up to do! Key phrase "self discipline"....I have been allowing myself to become side-tracked for the past few days and don't want to lose myself in this, so have come back to the boards for motivation. It's Tuesday (trash day)----the box my neighbor was to pick up a week ago Monday went out to the curb before bedtime last night. No wonder we've been friends for so long! LOL! She is into the procratinating mode too! But.......like I warned her before, if it IS NOT picked up on Monday night it gets kicked to the curb. Since I have been away for a few days and not checking in like I was doing before, things have gotten off track for me at home. No way to go back and explain what's taken place each day now as I don't remember what excuses I had for not doing my 15 minute routines. Anyone that has been following my posts here might recall that I was working on my tiny bathroom decluttering and cleaning. This job was started but not completed! During the times I did not post on the boards, things however were accomplished at home. We tossed an old radiator (had a short in it) from my dad's room, as well as the neighbor's box of goodie AND a huge trash bag of "junk", not to mention I started de-cluttering the bedroom (can see progress now). Still in the "de-cluttering and fluttering" stage, which means going from room to room with a trash bag in hand. Sometimes I don't always allow myself to see the trash from the functional items, or end up putting on the blinds because in my heart I'm not wanting to part with the item. This is why it takes so many trips with the bag in hand (fluttering)...LOL! What I view as being something necessary one day is viewed differently the next, so it's an on-going adventure for me. Since my father passed away last Thanksgiving, I am saving his room for last as I catch myself pondering over everything in there. This energy needs to be focused elsewhere for now (our living space to be exact). Today is Day 16-----I have to keep in mind my 15 minute routine and just do it! As I've stated before.....you can get a lot accomplished in 15 minutes and it also serves as a starting point since getting motivated is generally hard for me to do. There is still hope!! I have not lost the motivation...just took a break to deal with other things that needed my energy and time! BTW, at least I don't have to backtrack and redo anything that has already been accomplished! WOOT! Rules were laid down and now being followed both by me AND my DH! He knows that the mess causes stress=) Just wish he'd learn rinse the bathroom sink after shaving! Hate scouring anyone's stubble droppings! Will post results later in the day>>>>
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apple_pie_order
2 months ago
Kendrah's comments are excellent.

Do you have a house cleaner now? Although it may seem backwards, it can be easier to start with regularly scheduled house cleaning. When you have two big jobs, decluttering and cleaning, only decluttering requires you to make your own decisions. Cleaning can be delegated to someone else. As the clutter gets removed over the course of weeks, the cleaners can dust and vacuum the newly freed up spaces faster and more thoroughly.

Ask your friends and neighbors for referrals to house cleaners. In my high cost of living area, an experienced house cleaner is paid about $150 for three or four hours of work every two weeks or once a month. Cleaners from franchises such as Merry Maids may cost more.

Your real estate agent will have a list of cleaners. They can also recommend organizers who specialize in helping seniors prepare to move.
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HALLETT & Co.
2 months ago
All excellent advice above but want to highlight what Kendra’s said about decluttering. If you know the place you are moving to has one bedroom that fits a queen bed, then right there you know the set from the guest room stays and your giant king set gets donated or sold. Etc etc. You keep one set of China. Will you miss your fancy set? Great, toss the cheap set and use the fancy set EVERY DAY.
Kendrah
2 months ago
I moved from a 5 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom NYC apartment. I had a lot of family things I cherished but had to get rid of. What helped was:

1. Getting rid of a set of dishes but keeping the creamer and sugar. I still had a piece of my grandfather in keeping those. (He had great taste in dishes and everything else. He was OG metrosexual!)

2. Donating. It is a wonderful feeling knowing that someone will benefit from what you are not keeping.

3. Take a picture of things you love so you can look back on them fondly!

4. When you go to tour the senior living facility - open all of the closets and drawer and take pictures. When you are purging - because really you not decluttering you are purging - look at those pics as a reminder of how much you can realistically take with you.

5. Make stacks of what you are going to keep and when the stack starts to look too big, you know you have to remove items and start purging more!

Hi, we’re looking for professional de clutters and cleaners first.

Comments (5)

Kendrah

Patricia Colwell Consulting

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