Time to Declutter

You may have read (or heard) that our house is on the market. Every couple of weeks we have tried to do something that would help increase interest in our house. Our dear friend Dave is an appraiser and he has shared with us tips years ago about what to do to get the best "bang for our buck". Mostly he told us what kind of things may look good but don't necessarily add value. With these in our head and tips from our AWESOME realtor we have tried to address areas that are effective but don't break the bank. For example we have added some neutral color to areas that really needed it. Of course this made us want to paint everything but we have held back. Then Darrel went to work on the yard. He did some tricks that another friend with an undeniably green thumb had suggested years ago. He created a ring around the tree in the front yard (this tree has looked like a dwarf for seven years!!) and he created two flower beds in the back yard and planted a couple of trees in the back. Amazing. Our yard has life! Add the tree that never grew looks so healthy and full of life! So that brings me to this last week end. You see we have had three realtor's (Our current one is the best!) and all three have told us to declutter. I nodded and listened but on the inside I must admit I scoffed. I am one of the least cluttered people I know! But more and more lately I have been looking at our house through the eyes of possible buyers and I began to think we might need to move out some extra pieces. To do so meant renting a storage unit with strict rules about not filling up the space we emptied. So we began to empty (notice I am not calling it decluttering)the quest room. Then Darrel thought of items that could be cleared out of his office. On a break loading boxes we thought about what could be moved out of our garage and laundry room. (Our friends had offered to let Maggie play at their house for the day so that we could use the day to our advantage). So as the day moved on we cleared out most of the guest room and Darrel's office. We had rented a 10 x 10 storage room and so far it isn't even half full but the difference in these rooms is noticeable.
Now I still do not think I am a person of clutter. But I am stubborn. Kevin told us years ago what would help our tree grow strong. We put it off. I had been told twice before that I needed to declutter. Yet now with this realtor I got the hint. We still have a few items to move out and clean up but I know that in the end it is for the best. Hopefully the new owners will be along any day now and this house will strike their fancy and they will see all it has to offer. And maybe (no promises) I will stop listening to words and start hearing the message.