What Do I Do with All the Extra Stuff?
The biggest question when you are downsizing and moving is what do I do with all the extra stuff?
Several unnecessary items may accumulate in a small house, according to Katie Munoz, a writer for Moving Forward Inc.
She cautions that it may not be best to go with your first thought and have a charity pick up everything.
Following your move out, you may want to consider selling the contents of your home (what you and your family do not wish to keep) to an estate sale company.
Likewise, if your situation is appropriate, they will research and price your things for sale. Estate sales typically charge a percentage of the gross receipts.
Perhaps, an auction is something you may want to consider. Similarly, you should hire professionals to handle the auction for a percentage of the gross profit.
Consequently, after you have sold all items you no longer require, donate the remaining items.
Donating is a generous thing to do. Let your items find a new home with someone else. It answers the biggest question “What do I do with all the extra stuff?
I was recently included in an article called Home Organizing Before Selling: Tips from the Experts on the Inspection Support Network and wanted to share it. Learn from a large group of organizing and staging experts on how to prepare different areas of your home when you are getting ready to sell.
The biggest question when you are downsizing and moving is what do I do with all the extra stuff? Click To Tweet
Basic Organization is your organizer in Washington DC and Northern Virginia.
Providing organizing services for families, busy professionals, seniors, and home-based business owners. Our passion is helping people achieve peace and simplicity in their lives by organizing their homes, routines, and lifestyles. Let our team help you regain control of your environment by organizing your living and storage areas. We work in all areas of your home, including the garage, kitchen, basement, office, bedrooms, and closets.
Our experienced home organizing team members are affiliated with the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO). We make education a high priority to ensure that we stay ahead of the trends and provide better service for our clients.
NAPO-WDC awarded Janet the 2023 NAPO-WDC Organizer of the Year. She supports the organization within the community and other businesses.
Subscribe by email
Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
I so agree. Move the things that fit into the new space. Then call an Estate Sale Company. There are many. Donate the remaining items. I have found that if the client has the ability to stay in their home while figuring out the new space there may be some trading going on. What you at first thought would (or would not ) fit may need to be re-evaluated. The first step always needs to be what are you keeping.
It seems that it’s always a struggle with the clients that have a lot of stuff. There are items that belonged to their parents from years ago and it’s hard for them to let go. But when downsizing, items have to go. Thanks Diane.
It’s always tricky to let go, whether you’re moving or not. Knowing what your objectives are and the space you will have helps. I agree that having the support of a company that can help with decision-making is essential. Hiring a company to handle the sale of what you don’t want is also valuable.
The process can be emotional, so enlisting help can make an enormous difference.
Congratulations on being the 2023 NAPO WDC Organizer of the Year! So well deserved, Janet.
It’s never easy to let go. People move from a single family home to a one bedroom apartment, it’s definitely not easy.
Thank you Linda, I appreciate it.
I love the idea of these online auctions, and we looked into it after my father passed away, but he didn’t have enough stuff of value to make it feasible. We were happy to find a charity who would give his furniture directly to a family in need. We had to pay for the pick-up, but got a tax receipt for the value of the donated goods, so that was something.
Sorry to hear, but glad you found a charity that would help families in need.
I think online auctions are definitely a wonderful option. If your heart will hurt if something sells for a small number, keep it out of the auction, but otherwise, it is a very efficient way to redistribute items at a reasonable price and to the benefit of those who might be in need.
It is especially difficult when you have a whole house worth of stuff to manage. Definitely think this is a good time to bring in a professional who can provide perspective and give suggestions.
Cheers to anyone handling this task during the holidays!
Absolutely Seana, professional help will make the move go smoother. Clients love to be guided and in many cases they are lost and really need the help.
Interesting perspective. When clients have the luxury of moving everything they want to keep and then selling and donating the remainder, that’s the best option. However, that’s really only an option for homeowners, not renters, and even then, only when people don’t need the funds from the old home to close on the new home. We have so few local-venue auctions in our community, and the growth of online auctions with a local representative have really increased since the pandemic. For “good” furniture and pieces, it’s lovely to be able to get a tidy return (no matter what), and for houses that have a lot to turn over to local auctions (because they’re persnickety about amount and type of items), that can be a boon. But online auctions hit that sweet spot, and you’re right that a professional can make the whole process smoother. I think the most important thing is that the client not have to see people picking over their lifetime of items, treating them with disrespect, and offering pennies on the(ir hard-earned) dollars. Great points.
I love your point too. I also believe if the homeowners have plenty of time to sell items, social media selling sights have become a big help, especially when it comes to big stores and brands, it would sell fast. Value for the money is always going to be low. But yes, at least we have options to try and sell items we can get money for.