When you are looking at selling your home there are 4 main areas that you need to consider. It is important to consider these and make adjustments so that you get the best possible outcome for your home, whether that be a quick sale, an increased price, or the long settlement that you require


So, I want to discuss with you, the top tips you need to do when considering to sell your home. Before you put it on the market to be sold.
Simply by doing these tips,  you will increase the time your home is on the market,  and give you at least 10% more income for your home.


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Declutter
Decluttering your home is the most important thing you can do. I know you love all your trinkets around the home but the new owners need to see and feel like the space can be theirs. They need to be able to envision theirselves moving in and living the life they desire in this space. 
This is why it is very important that you declutter the hell out of it.  Go through every room in your home and make a list of all the excess stuff that you could remove to make the home appear minimalist. 
Once you have done this you will need to set aside some time to work on clearing this clutter so that only the basics are left in each room. I know it sounds harsh but you have to keep focused on your end goal of selling your home and moving on, so the process of decluttering and letting go needs to start now. 
If you have heaps of stuff the best option is to pack it all up in boxes, label them and put them off site whether at someones house or storage unit for the period that your home is on the market to sell. 

The benefit of this will be enormous for the energy that you allow to flow into your home and that ability for the potential buyers to walk through your home and not feel like they are taking a tour of a museum and not feel comfortable in taking over the space as their own. This sense of ownership you want for a buyer as they will be more emotionally engaged in your home and have a passion to buy it.


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Maintenance
The second most important tip to selling your home is to once again go around the house and try to look at it with fresh eyes. You need to look at your home with a buyers perspective and what they would NOT like to see. Example of this is if you approach the front door and there are cracks in your front door, or holes in the flyscreen, then these need to be fixed. Sometimes this can be hard to do so I suggest getting a friend to come by and do it for you. That way they can offer a fresh prospective. Often if we have been living in a home for a while we don't see things that are needing repairs. 

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Cleaning 
Cleaning your home is something that you probably do on a regular basis, but what I mean by cleaning is all those jobs that might not get done only once a year or bi annually.
You will need to do a through clean of your home including the front entrance way, dusting cobwebs and wiping outdoor window seals, cleaning windows both inside and out and even clearing your gutters as they could be growing small trees in them if only done annually.  It is very important that image the buyer sees when entering your property is one of a home that has been well looked after as this will give them the first impression of what they will be buying.

Along with cleaning the front enterance don't forget the skirting boards, ceiling cornices and light switches and don't
​forget to sugar soaping all the walls from day to day marks
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Styling
This is the last piece of the puzzle. I love styling as this was my passion before I got into decluttering homes for a living.  This doesn't need to be expensive, as it is a matter of selecting timeless pieces and trying to stick to a few key colours throughout your home. You basically strip back each room to the bare necessities i.e. loungroom will have a couch, tv cabinet and coffee table. You then add a few coloured cushions and throw rugs, a couple of ornaments or vases and a rug to tie them all together.  It is perfectly ok to use your current times unless they are worn out, broken or don't help with your 2 colours that you choose.
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If you are looking at selling your home and need some help with decluttering enquire here
​ natasha@organisingspaces.com.au 

Top 7 tips to organise your morning with kids
           

1. The night before, get out the cereal and place in bowls with lids to keep fresh. Along side add spoons ready for the morning breakfast meals.  This way the kids can help theirselves and not leave a mess of cereal boxes and crumbs on the benches for you to clean up. I use the everyday Tupperware range, allocating each child their favourite colour 
2. Make school lunches the night before and place in the fridge ready to just grab in the morning. You will be relived you did this, before all the morning chaos. This also allows you to time to put a cute little note of love for each child in their lunch boxes. 
3. Get your children to set out their school clothes at the end of their beds the night before. Socks, underwear and all, that way they can just get up and into them straight away. Even if they are still half asleep. 
4. Set your alarm 15min earlier. You will be amazed at how just starting a little earlier will help you keep on time and allows that extra few minutes for the unplanned situations that always seem to arise when getting kids ready for school.. I know tantrums and moods of your children can greatly effect the smooth running of the morning journey.
5. Make your bed, and open your curtains. I know this is a small thing but it helps create order in your bedroom and makes it feel less cluttered and chaotic. Encourge your children to get into the habit of doing this also.  This really sets up the flow for the day.
6. Wake your children up, make sure they are up and getting ready so that you can focus on getting lunches out of the fridge and packing their bags. 
7. Set the oven timer for 15minutes before you have to leave to the school run. Let everyone know that by this the alarm goes off, they have to be onto their teeth and shoes.  This creates a fun game for them to be involved in, and makes getting ready for school fun. These are the last things you do before you walk out the door in the morning.

 

Enjoy your day as it has gotten off to a wonderful start. 
If you want to know more please  email
​Cheers

Natasha  x 

​​In my quest to get organised and help others overcome their collection of stuff, I came across  
a movement that is gaining momentum in the United States of America.


                                               The Minimalists

It is called "The Minimalists" and it is being  spearhead by Joshua Fields Milburn & Ryan Nicodemus, who spent their twenties climbing the corporate ladder, making 6 figure incomes, and yet when they got there, they realised they were miserable. 

Why would this be so?

We all strive for success, and want a good family, friends, job and lots of money to buy nice things.
They realised that the meaning and purpose to life didn't  come from the stuff they had filled their lives and homes with,  but from the connections that they make with the people they love, like family and dear friends.

Seems simply right? But why are we not all living like this? Should we declutter our homes?

One of the reasons is advertising, and our conditioning to want to have the latest of everything, from cars, homes, clothing and electronics. We see over 50,000 images a day, and as humans we are wired to hunt and gather, making this unstainable, with a desire to get the promise of what these expensive things bring us.
Just look at the interest in the Kardashians or reality TV housewives.


In an age where we are all constantly on our electronic devises and rushing from one appointment to the next, whether it be work to home, kids sports to doctors appointment or the gym, there never seems to be enough time in our lives. Then we come home and buy our kids stuff to fill the guilt of not spending time with the, or purchase that top or shoes to make ourselves feel good about "keeping up with the jones". 

In the long run this is not making us happy,  but miserable.

The movement is about how can we all live more deliberately with less.
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Doesn't this sound like a great idea?

​So why have we gotten to this huge phenomenon where we are occupying homes that are 3 times bigger then our parents, yet we have so much more stuff, that we are filling over 2.2 billion square feett of personal storage in offsite rental rooms?

Beginning mid 1990 we embarked on a buying spree because of the cheapness of products coming from china. These items encompassed fashion, electronics and household goods. They were available to order online 24 hours a day, with free shipping and guaranteed to arrive within days.

​The Minimalist Movement is not asking you to not consume, but its mindless consumption that doesn't make us happy. So next time you purchase an item, ask yourself on the way to the counter.
Why am I actually buying this item. Do I really need it, or am I just trying to keep up with the everyone else?

Surely the benefits of financial freedom, with smaller spaces that cost less to run, a life with less distractions and stuff to think about , like maintaining your house, cleaning, painting, tidy or sorting stuff would be worth the effort. It would make you become present in your current activities, and not feel like you are living in a haze of rushing and overwhelmingness.

We need to change our desire for the philosophy that " bigger is better". and redefine what it means to be successful in life.

This information is free and transferable - so please please pass it on to your friends. or look me up at www.organisingspaces.com

Thankyou to www.theminimalists.com for the informative documentary

This Easter weekend is a great time to get stuck into your wardrobe. With the 
change in seasons you can review what is in there and  relocate your summer clothes and donate any items that you haven't worn since last season.

If you are like me this can be very overwhelming, and the best way to attack your wardrobe is just focus on one area a time. Follow the 5 steps that I have listed below and you will be on your way to a fantastic looking wardrobe in no time.  Who knows you may even get a surprise present from the easter bunny.

1, Clear some space on your bed to sort piles into 'keep,' 'store' and 'donate'.  

2. Select the area you want to work on first, shoes, hanging clothes or draws

3. Work through your items keeping only things that make you feel good

4. Sort keep items in 'like with like' and put back into cupboard

5. Stored items away and donate into your car straight away, so they don't make their way back to you cupboard

Happy sorting and happy happy Easter.

If you are wanting a more comprehensive wardrobe declutter, sign up for my free download today, or look me up at https://www.facebook.com/organisespaces