Making Room

It was a very sunny morning when I met up with Amanda Scudder, Owner and Certified Professional Organizer of Sprucely, Home and Lifestyle Solutions. This one woman show drives this passion project to helping those organize their homes so they can have space for themselves and others, inside and out.

As Fat Rabbit morsels filled space in our bellies, I took some time to discover that organizing goes beyond purging one’s closet, but can become a healthy and liberating habit. I don’t know about you, but I cannot work in a cluttered space for too long. I also cannot deal with the overwhelming sensation of sentimental disposal. I tend to want to keep everything from wine corks to scribble filled napkins. It is the complete opposite of a close friend whose monthly firepit hang ends in the remnants of old love poems and greeting cards.

Amanda began her career with a Masters in Social Work and was all too familiar with implementing effective systems as part of her work. She is also a very kind and gentle person. So while she did her stint in Social Work, including working for United Way, she felt like something was unfulfilled in her. The Universe, my friends, is a powerful ally. It wasn’t until she randomly went to a retreat and met someone needing assistance with organizing her home, that the switch flipped. She had found the missing piece. Sprucely was born out of that passion after doing her time learning and getting certified at the Institute of Challenging Disorganization®.

Doing the unstuck is hard. Where do you start? How do start? Why do you need it? I know when I am doing a thorough clean and organizing things in my home, the energy shifts. I’m able to be more productive, my mood is lifted—of course til I mess it all up again! Many people have a hard time—putting things away, making space for what’s important, or parting with things that have meaningful significance. Amanda is able to facilitate and support those who are ready to take that leap, but she does so without creating resistance. She allows her clients space to be ready for such a task, but also gives them motivations to ponder.

Amanda is also quite certified in not only being a professional organizer, but is also one if not the only local Organizer that is a practicing CPO-CD (Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization®). This required her to evaluate case studies, medical histories, and work with a mentor. She has also completed intensive studies in helping those with such disorders as ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, Hoarding Disorder, PTSD, TBI and those with individuals suffering from OCD. Her interest lies in the “why” rather than the “what”. A lot of her job is helping those maintain a healthy routine of ‘putting things back where they belong’.

As Realtors®, we help our clients facilitate moving in and moving out of houses, Amanda helps them in both those transitions giving them a real brand new start. She helps clients get rid of the clutter before a move and shows them how to create efficient and good organizational habits to begin their new homes. But it is what Amanda does with clients who are in a life transition that I find dear. She helps clients find a meaningful and resourceful place for those items they part with so that they are beneficial to someone else in need. For example, someone who adheres to lots of books that they don’t necessarily need, could contribute to a library or bookshare. She shows others that the significance in that item could be meaningful to someone else, therefore releasing them, but never pushes them.

I have a box in my home that I will never get rid of. My ‘history’ if you will, can be found easily and within reach, but I tend to have lots of clutter around me. I have lots of clutter in my life as well. I think about how it makes me feel to transform that clutter into an inviting space for me to create and be tranquil in, and it is a desire of mine. Both Amanda and I agree that there is not set “way” to organize—every individual is different with various challenges. Some people need auditory cues while others need the visual, there just isn’t a set method to it all. You have to do what works for you and in the time it works for you. Sometimes we just need a little help seeing the trees through the clutter, while some of us just want to create a roadmap to organizational bliss.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, Sprucely can help! If you’d like to have a consultation with Amanda to figure out how to make space in your life, click below and schedule and appointment.

All the House is a Stage

To stage or not to stage, that is the question.

I get asked all the time on listing appointments whether it is a good idea to stage. In the past, I have always been adamant about not staging a home. Why? Well, in my humble opinion, I like to let buyers use the blank canvas to work out what they see their home to be. I also like them to see how much space they are getting. What have I learned in recent experience? People lack vision.

Sometimes buyers have a hard time imagining what the home is going to look like with their artwork on the walls and their furniture placed about. I went on a listing appointment recently where i did bring a staging consultant in and I was impressed to say the least. I think for me I get tired of seeing the same layouts and themes, and so me, as an individual don’t see it as “homey” or “lived in”. Finding a stager who brings personality, warmth and charm is important because lots of people are still actually living in their homes while listing, but also need to have their homes look attractive for showings.

Having a stager also nudges sellers to start organizing and prompts them to get rid of things they no longer need within the home. I always tell my clients, “less is more”. When buyers come in or I’m working with them, I want them to have their line of site clear of obstructions. I like for them to see that placing a chair from this wall to a corner, will create space. I want them to utilize their unique furnishings and decor without making it look to personalized. And yes, I know how difficult is for someone to come into your home that you’ve loved and lived in comfortably and directly tell you all the things that should go. But then again, it’s getting you used to the idea that, this is a chapter that is ending and you have a new one to look forward to and trust me, your home is going to look like the beauty siren it needs to be to ensure a quick sale.

“Staging can get your home sold faster, too. According to HomeAdvisor, homes that have been staged spend between 33% and 50% less time on the market. That not only means getting the proceeds of a home sale faster but also spending less money on added expenses such as a rental or storage unit while you wait for the sale to happen.”

— FORBES, 2021

Here are a few tips when considering staging:

• Purge. Organize. Declutter. - I cannot stress this enough, if you want your house to look attractive, get rid of overflowing tchotchke shelves, filled to the brim closets, overcrowded bathroom vanities (nobody wants to see your gnarled haired razors or makeup infested counters). This also makes it a lot easier and more efficient for if you do hire a stager.

• Hire a Professional Consult - Some agents use a preferred stager (myself included), but getting an expert to walk through the house to see what they are working with and making notes for you to do the staging yourself or having them do it, can be incredibly valuable. Some agents even include this in their services and pay the few hundred dollars themselves.

• Buy it Cheap - baskets, glass vases, fruit, artwork, etc are all things that can highlight your home when listing. Check out the dollar store or a thrift store to purchase these items.

• Include Landscaping - Yes, even the exterior of your house should be staged. Fresh mulch, colorful flowers, a bistro set on the porch are all things you can do to increase curb appeal.

• Consider the Olfactory - smell is important when staging a home, especially if you have pets! Coffee, boiled lavender or cinnamon, simple scented candles (ex. fresh linen, apple pie, pumpkin spice or vanilla)

• Change out Your Air Filters - people always forget about these but changing them out and also opening windows to let air circulate is a good rule of thumb

• Professional Cleaners - I swear by them before listing. They will get rid of dust, odors, and gook on the windows and mirrors. If you have carpets, get them steam cleaned right before listing. I cannot tell you how many houses I’ve shown and the carpets are disgusting and smell bad.

• Cost - to stage a whole home can be expensive. It can be from $600 to upwards of $2,000+ which may or may not include setup and breakdown fees. Some stagers will allow for payment at closing, but most are upfront fees. Also, consider if you are using a storage unit to house your “clutter”, that’s an additional monthly fee.

I always wonder how many moms, dads, aunts, and real estate agents go through staged homes and say, “Oh, that’s a nice design feature.” or “My house is similar to this and I just love how they arranged this room.” I do it all the time. So, as much as I want you to list your house, you may just want a redesign of the one you have. Feel free to contact me and I can get you a consult scheduled with my preferred organizer/designer/stager.