Summer doesn’t officially begin until the 20th, but with most Houston householders having spent so much time at home, it’s a cinch that there will be a lot more need than usual to tidy up the house. One unchanging truth about humans and their domiciles is that things gradually pile up. It can seem as if they have lives of their own—as if all those household “things” crave company. Magazines are examples. They seem to collect piles of companion magazines—and not only of their own kind, but also of close relatives (like newspapers and mailers).
When you vow to tidy up the house, you acknowledge that the sightlines in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchen, etc., have deteriorated due to all the stuff that’s piled up. It makes spaces feel closed-in.
Serious tidying up campaigns are known (especially to Houston Realtors® like me) as “decluttering.” Real estate professionals know that to sell a home, decluttering is an absolute must. It’s also a factor when you buy a home because you will be much more likely to pass up on a clutter-filled house. More than one buyer has missed an otherwise suitable property because of it.
The ranks of decluttering experts were joined five or so years ago by a Japanese lady named Marie Kondo—known to fans as “Konmari.” Her books and Netflix series have grown so popular that her name has become a verb—so if you hear that a friend has KonMari’ed her clothes, it means she’s cleaned out her closet. The ‘Konmari Method’ involves fully appreciating the joy of organizing and getting rid of things. The joy has spread so extensively that Forbes says it’s been good news for thrift-store shoppers everywhere.
As Houston homeowners emerge into the summer sunlight, it might be worth checking out how to “spark joy” in the otherwise joyless job of decluttering (Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is a best seller on Amazon.com). And if this year’s tidying up campaign is actually the first step in prepping your Houston home for sale, a good second step will be calling us at (832) 445-4957 ask for Rinnovare Realty, LLC. www.rinnovarerealty.com!