Decluttering your home is necessary for anyone but especially if you’re moving. It can make the process much simpler and faster when you’re boxing things up. While it seems like a daunting task you can break it down to make it easier to swallow. Here are some tips from us:

10-15 minutes

This is a super popular way to declutter for those who are way too busy to actually do it. Set aside 10 to 15 minutes dedicated to decluttering a certain room or organizing a space. If you do feel like spending more time, don’t allocate more than 2 or 3 hours to one space or project. Spending too much time can drain all your energy and make you less efficient.   

Bags/baskets

Before you begin, you want to know where all of your stuff is going to go. Get at least three bags out and label them trash, donate, and relocate. This way you can easily take care of everything that is hanging around without moving it somewhere else where it doesn’t belong either.

Organize first

Many people go through an organizational supply crisis when they realize all the stuff they have to find a place for. This usually translates to going to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and returning home with countless bins, crates, and other storage options. Before you go crazy, organize first! You don’t want to buy more than you need and only contribute to the clutter problem. Plus, you might find all the storage space you need once you start looking around.

Don’t do it half way

If you start working on a task, finish it! Many people don’t like decluttering or organizing and stopping before you’re finished might mean you never finish. This also means taking out trash or recycling that you’ve accumulated through the process, and not letting it sit in the garage; you’d just be creating more clutter elsewhere.

Winters in Vermont can be brutal and your heating bill can add insult to injury. We've put together a couple of ways you can reduce your heating costs in simple and cost effective ways.

Keep the shades closed

During the night or when you're not home, there is no reason to keep the curtains open since it only adds to any drafts coming from the windows. On days that aren't brutally cold, it can help to leave curtains open in rooms where the sun will shine in. This will add some natural heat for no extra cost.

Programmable thermostat

While these aren't free, the money you could save will be worth it. Programmable thermostats allow you to preset times to turn the heat down or up when you're not home or sleeping. It's perfect if you're more forgetful or too busy to be changing it manually multiple times a day.

Socks

Have you ever noticed that you feel considerably warmer or cooler depending on whether you're wearing socks? Simply putting on some winter socks can make your home feel warmer. 

Fans

Use ceiling and standing fans to your advantage by using them to circulate warm air to different areas of the house. Just place them strategically to filter the air from heating vents or wood/gas stoves.

Only heat what you need

You might find that you don't need all the rooms in your home to be heated all the time. If the study or laundry room don't see as much traffic, then you might consider closing those doors (or vents) and saving more heat for other rooms. 

Home staging is not a new marketing technique for home sellers but it is extremely effective. We want to share with you why you'll want to invest some time into it. It has the potential to make the selling process a lot easier.

The Data

• A survey by Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp. found that staged homes spend half the time on the market than non-staged homes.
• 81% of buyers say home staging makes it easier to visualize the property as their future home.

• 45% of buyers say it will positively impact the value of the home if it is decorated to the buyer’s tastes.

The most common rooms to stage are the kitchen, living room, and master bedroom. These are the rooms that are going to see the most activity so they need to make a good impact. Common rules of thumb for staging are:

• Declutter: The fewer odds and ends hanging around the better. Less clutter will show off more space which will appeal to your buyers. Plus, a clean house is more attractive to the eye and won't leave a bad impression.
• No personal items: You may love the countless family photos hanging on your walls but it won't help your potential buyer when they're trying to envision living there. Put away any items that will interfere with the buyer seeing their future there.
• Style: You might love your style but a vintage-chic or edgy contemporary style might not be appealing if it's too overpowering. Try to rein it in during the selling process, you can design your new home to your heart's content.
• Floors: This is easy to overlook but a messy floor will give the impression that it might be hard to keep up with the cleaning of the home. A quick vacuum, sweep, or mop can take care of this easily. 
• Furniture: Symmetrical arrangements are generally a good way to go. While many suggest pushing the furniture against the wall to make the room feel bigger, this can create issues if you are so far away from your company that they can't hear you. Pull the furniture off the wall to create a more community feel where you can envision actually having conversations.
• Neutral Colors: Painting might not be in the budget but simply choosing neutral colors for pillows and throw rugs will allow for a relaxed atmosphere. Taking risks with bright colors isn't a good idea when it can turn off buyers. 
• Pets: Clean, clean, clean! Having pets can make selling your home more difficult if there are paw prints and pet hair everywhere. Make sure you're doing a complete sweep of the home before potential buyers come over, especially if they don't have pets of their own. (Use deodorizers while cleaning to get rid of any smells. It's easy to become desensitized as the person living there but your guests will smell it!)

Depending on your budget you might want to hire a stager to do this for you or go the DIY route. For those going it on their own, check out Pinterest. The site has a ton of ideas to make your house shine. Just search things like "home staging" and "redecorating." Good Luck!

Sources:

https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/research-reports/profile-of-home-staging