Use Organizing Services to Transform Your Home Into an Income Stream

clean-up and decluttering is best accomplished with help from an expert organizer like Regina F Lark

If you’re thinking of picking up a side hustle, you aren’t alone. According to Zapier, one in three Americans now have a side gig to supplement their primary income stream. The key to success is utilizing resources you already have at your disposal, like your house. There are a number of ways that you can monetize your property and turn it into another source of income. If you’re successful, you might even turn your side gig into a full-fledged business.

Before you can monetize your home — for example, by showing it off on social media — you’ll need to get it looking its best. A Clear Path offers decluttering and organization tips to help. Read on for more tips to follow if you want to create a clear home to transform into a gorgeous, money-making machine.

Document your home improvements

HGTV shows like Fixer Upper have become popular in recent years. Country Living notes that ratings for such “home genre” shows are high. Seize the momentum of this trend. Document your own home improvements, big and small. Make sure to use appealing visual formats, like YouTube or Instagram. Shane Baker provides tips on figuring out which platform is best for you, like considering your niche and current follower counts.

decluttering is one of the specialties of A Clear Path a professional organizer.

Monetize your blog or website

You can also document your home improvement journey in writing via a blog or website. This opens up yet another source of possible income — selling ad space. For example, if you write about a plumbing disaster, you might have ads for plumbing services. Diggity Marketing provides other pointers for monetizing a blog, from using Google AdSense to accepting visitor donations.

Check out affiliate marketing opportunities with home organizing services and more

Look for affiliate marketing opportunities that make for logical collaborations. As Big Commerce explains, this is a type of performance-based marketing where marketers (called affiliates) earn a commission for marketing another company’s products. Their sales are tracked via links. You might team up with home organizing services like A Clear Path, home remodeling companies, homewares providers, and more.

No clue how to do affiliate marketing? Ahrefs provides a quick step-by-step guide. Here’s an overview:

Pick a platform, like a YouTube channel or blog.
Select a niche to narrow things down. For example, maybe you want to focus on gardening and houseplants.
Research affiliate programs that are a good fit.
Sign up for your chosen program.
Create compelling content to engage your audience.
Drive traffic to your affiliate collaborator.

From there, all you have to do is cash in, and you’re already making money from your clean and clear home.

Boost traffic with social media ads

If you’re going to monetize a blog or website, you need to have consistent traffic. More visitors means more visibility. When it comes to points like selling ad space, this ups your brand’s value. Goins Writer explains how to drive blog traffic through social channels. They recommend asking others to promote your blog through social bookmarking sites, like Reddit and Stumbleupon, and implementing sharing tools on your platform.

preparing to rent or sell your property? Use a professional organizer like A Clear Path

Transform Your Home-Related Business Into a Real Company

Ideally, you will grow your side hustle with time. You will attract more followers on social media, boost website traffic, and raise your profile overall. At some point, you may discover that your “side hustle” has become a legitimate business. Grasshopper provides tips for determining whether you’re ready to quit your day job, such as:

Try a beta test: Start treating your side business like it’s a full-time business for one full day per week and see how it goes.
Assess your confidence: Making the leap can be daunting. Assess your confidence and determine if you’re emotionally ready.
Write a business plan: Writing a business plan that includes financial projections will help you determine if this is a viable path forward.
Consider financials: Finally, consider whether you need additional funding to get your business going.

If you do think that it’s time to create a full-time business, make it official. Establishing a formal legal entity like a limited liability company (LLC) protects your personal assets in case you run into business problems. You have to register your LLC with the state. While this requires some paperwork, it’s not a super complicated process. Business formation services can help you get it done in as few as five steps.

The Final Word

You won’t transform your home into a money-maker overnight, but you have to recognize the signs. Be patient! With perseverance, you will be able to take your home-related side hustle to the next level.

A Clear Path Professional Organizing and Productivity can help you get your home ready for the spotlight through decluttering, and other services. Check out reviews from former clients.

Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels
Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels
Photo by Lisa Fotios from Pexels

3 Ways to Practice Self-Care During a Move

While moving to a new home can be an exciting event and an opportunity for a fresh start, it can also be extremely stressful. Packing, cleaning, unpacking, then cleaning again. It feels like a never ending process. This is especially true for seniors, who may not be able to do all the “heavy lifting,” when it comes to the end to end process of the move. The good news is, there are many ways in which you can combat and stress and get through the moving process with ease.

Accredited Sr. move manage shoud always be used when when moving boomers and other seniors. Below, we’ve compiled a list of ideas to help the senior community navigate the relocation process. Keep reading for a few tips on how you can practice self-care during your next move.

Hire Professionals

Whether you’re moving to a new home and plan to take all of your belongings with you, or you’re downsizing to a smaller space and are only packing the essentials, hiring a professional moving company is a great way to take the stress off your shoulders as well as your families. When searching for the right moving company for you, you’ll want to consider the following:

Price: Is this company within your budget? If so, what are they able to provide you for the price you want to pay? If not, are there specific items on your list you can omit in order for them to be more affordable? These are just a few of the questions you should ask yourself before making a final decision. Sure, price is quite important, but quality is key if you truly want to make this a stress-free experience.
Customer Service: Before signing any type of contract, you want to do your research. Check into the company website and take a look at their reviews page. If they have received a lot of positive feedback based on their past work, you may feel more comfortable choosing them. On the other hand, if the reviews aren’t so great, or there’s none at all, consider keeping your search going and look into some other options. If you’re not super tech savvy, you can always check around with people you know and go with a company based on word of mouth recommendations. This is, afterall, the best form of advertising! Be mindful of the fact that seniors can be taken advantage of in situations like this and do not let your guard down.
Licenses and Insurance: When hiring movers, it’s crucial you ensure they have their own insurance and licensing. Any reputable company will carry their own property damage and cargo policy which deems them liable should anything happen to any of your belongings during the move. Movers should also protect their employees by providing some type of workers compensation policy should they get hurt on the job. This also protects you from any liability should an accident happen.
Equipment: This is especially important if you’re planning to move heavier items such as televisions, washing machines, or any other items that need to be handled with extra care. Sure, a bunch of people may be able to lift these items, but how safe are they really being? The right equipment includes box carts, elastic moving strips and even a small forklift depending on the size of the items. In addition, you’ll want to consider what types of vehicles this company has to offer and if their size is conducive to your items.

Embrace Convenience

When you’re in the midst of a move, or even once you’ve settled into your new home, the last thing you want to do is worry about is an everyday task such as grocery shopping. If you don’t feel like heading out to a store, or simply don’t have time, utilize a grocery delivery service to stock your new space with your everyday essentials. You’d be shocked at just how many items are available for delivery. From bread and milk to cleaning supplies, and even vitamins and over the counter medications, the list goes on and on. Having everything delivered to you, and in a timely fashion, will lend you more free time to get settled in your new space.

Another great way to embrace convenience during your move is hiring a person or a company that specializes in home organizing services. Regardless of whether it’s to help you with packing and unpacking or decluttering, you want to start out in your new space on the right foot from an organizational standpoint. After you’ve lived somewhere for so long, it’s normal to accumulate many items. Sometimes these items can hold sentimental value, making it more difficult to part with them.

That said, it is important to recognize what items you should save and which items you should consider donating or recycling. If you’re curious as to what items can and cannot be recycled or donated, check out our list here. If you feel your problem with holding onto things is more serious, check out our page on chronic disorganization.

Utilize Estate Clearing Services

Sometimes, the move we’re making isn’t always one we make by choice or we’re not able to be hands on in the moving process at all. This is the perfect Professional in moving, packing and unpacking eases stress and quickens the entire process opportunity to utilize Estate Clearing Services. Our team provides compassionate and professional care during these critical circumstances and anyone should feel safe knowing we treat your belongings as if they are our own. Families of those who receive our estate clearing services can rest assured that we will handle all items with care and follow directions when it comes to heirlooms and anything else that carries out your desires to preserve your family legacy.

The estate clearing team can assist in any cleaning and decluttering you’d like done as well. This will make the moving process much smoother as you’ll be able to identify the items you’d like to take along with you to your new home as well as those you’d like to sell or donate. To learn more about estate settlement, check out this article from our blog.

Moving on to a new residence can drum up a number of emotions. At Clear Path, we know that moving can signify the beginning of one chapter and the end of another. We’d like to do everything we can to help you throughout this process. We also think it’s important to treat yourself kindly and embrace convenience as much as possible. If you’re a senior considering a move, don’t hesitate to contact us directly to learn more about the ways we can help you!

Stuck On Repeat

By: A Clear Path employee, Lauren Brennan

For a month that centers around warm and fuzzy feelings, February can be an ironically depressing time. Winter festivities are behind us and we’ve settled back into our monotonous routines. For some of us the mid-month dose of candied hearts and sappy greeting cards has us rolling our eyes, especially when we’re still fighting our way through a global pandemic. What do we have to look forward to? Spring cleaning? Didn’t we just do that last year?! Ugh.

Organizing is an unending effort. It’s a job that can feel like it’s never done. in the northern hemisphere, hearts inform us that spring will be here soon and de-cluttering and removal is in the air In the 1993 movie Groundhog’s Day an arrogant journalist named Phil Ryerson finds himself stuck in a supernatural cycle where, for reasons unknown to him, he must relive February 2nd indefinitely. Forced to repeat the same day in a snow-blanketed town that worships a rodent, eventually he loses his mind. Looking for the twin to a set of socks in a messy drawer can have a similar effect.

Valuable Lessons

For Phil Ryerson and those of us living in the real world, repetitious endeavors can lead us to the brink unless we learn a valuable life lesson: while our circumstances may be unvaried, our perspective is not. With all the time spent at home watching dust collect on top of clutter that never stops materializing, it’s easy to feel stuck, out of control of the world around you. Messes can be ignored when we aren’t surrounded by them all day long. Now, with many of us at home most of the day, it’s unavoidable. Each morning we wake up and the clutter is still there. But the truth is, you’re not stuck. You can get it together regardless of that pesky Groundhog declaring four more weeks of winter. Here’s how:

Start small.

Tackle one junk drawer a day until everything has a place and a purpose.
Clean up the desktop on your laptop or computer.
Leave no family photo or online receipt behind!
Rename screenshots so you can find them later with ease or simply delete them entirely.
Screenshots of photos that already live forever on your Facebook page may not be necessary to keep.
Photos and large files take up valuable storage space on your hard drive.
Clear a space for new memories.
Eliminating objects crowding your physical space can be very empowering.
The simple act of deleting a few files can leave you with a sense of accomplishment and the inspiration to continue clearing more.

Use what you have on hand.

The KonMari shop sells beautiful, albeit expensive, boxes that act as drawer separators making your folded clothing more easy to spot.
If you have deep dresser drawers, use empty shoe boxes instead of purchasing fancy paper ones.
Upcycling is friendly on your wallet and the environment.
Don’t save every little box that Amazon sends your way, but do keep sturdy packaging that can be repurposed for later storage.
Utilizing what you already have lying around saves you time and money. Don’t get lost in the pages of a virtual Container Store.

There’s no need to waste any more time waiting to get organized, we all know the postal service has more important things to deliver these days. You probably have the tools already, you just need to get a little creative.

Get crafty!

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box, literally.
Not everything needs to be hidden away. Remember that form follows function when considering where to store and place items.
You can repurpose unconventional spaces like the space underneath a kitchen cabinet or in front of a backsplash for hanging pots or mugs.
Pinterest is a great resource for creating mood boards and finding inspiration for new projects.
- It’s a photo-centric mood board in and of itself, with many of the photos linking to helpful articles or online shops.
Type in “upcycled organization” or “diy storage” and you’ll find a slew of hacks and tips for getting your life in order.

Not that crafty yourself?

Etsy is an excellent online shopping alternative to Amazon and other corporate distributors. The shops on Etsy are largely run by small business owners looking to broaden their market. With farmers markets and art fairs put on hold, it’s a great way to support artists and local vendors. It’s also a pathway to connect with real people, something you can’t get from a big-box retailer. Sellers often include handwritten notes, stickers or homemade cards with purchases. If you don’t have the materials on hand to DIY a shoe organizer or sock drawer divider, consider shopping small first.

Donate it!

Spring time isn’t the only suitable purging season. Take stock of your household inventory not once but twice a year. Autumn, before the holidays, is a great time to clear your space. Go through old decorations and any back-to-school items you may have lying around and donate them just in time for someone else to enjoy. Donating items during times that correlate with events throughout the year increases the chance that someone will actually find and use the item you’re giving away.

The next time you are feeling victimized by your clutter, remember: you are in control. Tomorrow can be different if you choose to act differently. An emotional weight is lifted when we physically remove what no longer serves us. Incorporating recycling and donating into our organizing practices helps us waste less and connect with our community. Perhaps you spent last year in a vicious cycle of daily online shopping. A Groundhog’s Day scenario that transpired for many of us was reaching for the phone and hitting the “Buy with 1 click” button before we even had our morning coffee. Giving away old (or even new) items to someone in need can help with the guilt of past purchases and free up valuable space in your home. Next time, look around your space and see what you could repurpose before you reach for the credit card. Finding out that you already have everything you need, now that’s a warm, fuzzy feeling. Contact us for help for what might seem to be an overwhelming task.

My Kids Don’t Want It- Now What?
Estate Settlement: Tangible Personal Property

By: Regina Lark, Sheri Samotin, Noelle Valentino

When downsizing, there are many precious items that need to be organized with great care

There are many challenges to dismantling an estate – from recovering important documents and hopefully avoiding probate, to deciding what to do with elegant (but worthless) tchotchkes and table linens. The size and scope of some projects can be daunting, even for the most dedicated of adult children, who likely have too much stuff in their own homes to tackle the clear-out of their parents’ household. There are so many moving parts, and often requires a team of experienced, dedicated professionals who work together to settle the estate and get the home ready for sale. An estate attorney, a realtor, and a good handyperson ought to be part of the team.

Dealing with the contents of the property is a different matter. Three professionals: a private fiduciary, an appraiser/valuator of tangible personal property, and a company that specializes in de-cluttering and downsizing, walk us a through their process to dismantle an estate, and the considerations that must be made when helping a family going through this process.

How to Get Started: Build Your Team

Sheri Samotin, Private Professional Fiduciary, LifeBridge Solutions

One of the most frequent comments I hear in my first conversation with a prospective client is, “I’m overwhelmed.” If the prospect is the family member in decluttering and organizing means that everything will be put into a proper place and can be easily found. charge of administering a trust or estate, they have many unfamiliar tasks to handle. Sometimes, I am my own Documents need to be organized professionally uasing a checklist to insure all are in place “client” if I am serving as a designated trustee or administrator. I must make the magic happen regarding clearing and distributing the personal property in accordance with the trust and/or will.

After I have reviewed the relevant documents, it’s time to lay out my strategy. Typically, the first step is to go through the home to locate any valuable items that could “grow feet” and disappear. Those items need to be secured. In addition, we search every nook and cranny for any papers that might be needed to support prior tax returns or to help us file a return. In one recent case, we

thought the decedent was a single man. In fact, when going through his papers, we learned that he had been briefly married as a young man and that the marriage was annulled. Sometimes we are looking for information related to the “family tree” to make sure everyone who is legally entitled to notice receives it. At the same time we are going through the paper, we make “shred” bags for documents that don’t need to be saved but require proper disposal.

Once the paper monster has been tamed, it is time to get an idea of the value of the personal property.

Valuing Tangible Personal Property, Appraisal and Disposition at Auction

Noelle Valentino, Fine and decorative arts specialist; household contents appraiser, John Moran Auctioneers & Appraisals

More often than not, the bulk of the value of an estate’s tangible personal property can be found in just a handful of items. It is important to engage a specialist early in the process to identify the items of significance before they are claimed by relatives, given away, donated, or worse. A qualified tangible appraiser will produce an inventory of household contents, or a formal appraisal report, depending on the needs of the estate. The intended use of the document must be disclosed in the report: equitable distribution, charitable donation, estate tax filing, or something else.

A Clear Path can coordinate the valuation and selling of collections as part of their organizing service For IRS purposes, estates approaching the exemption limit will require a household contents appraisal. The IRS defines art broadly: jewelry, paintings, silver, rugs, decorative objects and more. Outside of tax regulation, there are often issues that arise due to family reasons and an estate appraisal may be recommended to avoid later conflict. For the purposes of distribution among beneficiaries, it is helpful to discuss a minimum value threshold with the appraiser. A fair market value of several hundred dollars is often a good starting point for an object’s inclusion in the report.

Appraisals are considered legal documents and can be relied upon by an attorney, the court, or the IRS. Selecting a personal property appraiser who is USPAP compliant, with membership in one of the three preeminent appraisal organizations, is imperative. Qualified appraisers in your area can be located on the websites of the Appraisers Association of America, International Society of Appraisers, or American Society of Appraisers.

When considering the eventual disposition of assets from an estate, an auction house can also be helpful in identifying the items of greatest value in the home. With the intent to secure new consignments, they will provide free auction estimates. With that said, auction houses are likely to include only the items valued over $1,000 and appealing for bidders in today’s market. Note well that an auction estimate does not take the place of an appraisal. It is however, an advisable sale venue for estate property due to its the broad reach and rapid mode of sale, together ensuring fair market value has been achieved.

When the ‘good stuff’ is gone… Now what?

Regina F. Lark, Ph.D., downsizing and organizational specialist, A Clear Path, LLC

The typical household contains thousands of pieces of tangible personal property. Every room has stuff – some rooms have more stuff than other rooms. Drawers and cupboard and closets are filled with flatware, dishes and clothes. Even if considerable downsizing had already happened, there’s no getting around this fact: we all have to deal with our clients’ stuff.

To get the job done in an efficient and timely way, look for a professional organizing/downsizing company with access to a broad range of resources to complete the dismantling of an estate. Find out what they know, and who they know, when you ask these questions:

What does your business liability cover?
Do you have a project management fee?
Are you able to ship items across, or out of, the country?
Have you encountered a hoarding situation? If so, how do you handle the massive volume of ‘stuff?’
Do you have the ability to sell what the auction house doesn’t want?

After the auction house reviews and removes what I call the “big ticket” items, the remainder of the household contents can be photographed (to attach to donation receipt), packed-up, and hauled to the nearest non-profit. If removal is all that’s required, a good downsizing company can have the estate cleared and ready for the realtor to put on the market.

Another option is working with a traditional estate sale company. They usually spend two weeks tagging everything in the house, around the yard, and in every kitchen drawer. Many estate sale companies charge a percentage of the sale’s gross profits. For example, if the company charges 40% of gross profits and the sale yields $10,000 then you will owe the company $4,000. Be sure to ask about any additional services such as trash removal, post-sale clean-up, etc. If the estate is thick with clutter, does the estate sale company address that, too?

Over the past couples of years, online estate sale auctions have become wildly popular, and MaxSold, a Canadian company with a robust platform, has generated a large footprint in the United States. The concept is simple – an organizing team catalogs every item in the house into what are known as “lots,” distinct groupings of one or more items sold at auction– creating lots of lots! The sale is live online for 7-10 days and every lot begins at $1 (yes, one dollar). The bidding is particularly fast and furious on the final day of bidding. The ultimate split is 70% to the estate and 30% to Max Sold. If a fiduciary hires a team of professionals to dismantle an estate, it will likely come close, break-even, or make money on the sale of the remaining tangible personal property, and quite often, offset the cost of their service.

Conclusion:

Due diligence regarding the estate’s personal property is an important aspect of fiduciary duties. Sentiments tend to run high when it comes to the “stuff.” Suspend bias and remain objective with assets you are unfamiliar with, calling in experts where appropriate. Moreover, encouraging your clients to update their estate plans ahead of time, including a review of existing appraisals with personal property assets, as this can prevent later confusion. Proactive steps in identifying items of value and having a working plan for the disposition of tangible personal property can mitigate the risks and avoid family conflict, or a professional headache.

How to remove stress from a household junk removal

A cluttered home is a home with constant risks of injuries waiting to happen. That is why you should take a day or moving and de-cluttering is stressful, but is better with a professional move manager and NAPO organizer two every six months or so to clear out all the unwanted junk you have lying around your household. Stressful as this process can be, there are steps that you can take to make it organized and seamless. Whether you wish to hire professional junk removal specialists or to handle the task on your own, this article is your guide to success. Continue reading to learn more about how to remove stress from household junk removal.

A clear home through planning

Planning is key, no matter the project you’re taking on. When it comes to household junk removal, it is particularly important to know what you’re doing in advance. You’ll need time to go through your belongings, declutter and put in storage what you intend to keep. Having a plan on how to do this will eliminate stress and anxiety.

We suggest the following course of action:

Determine clutter hot spots within your home that you think should take priority.
Review your belongings room by room or area by area.
Make three piles – keep, throw away or donate, and store. When dealing with bulky items and pieces of furniture, you could use sticky notes of different colors to mark the items.
Organize friends and family members to help you with household junk removal or hire professionals to take care of it for you.

You’ll want to set a deadline for yourself for each of these stages and areas. The more structure you introduce into this process, the easier it will be to remove stress. Pick a timeframe that is attainable but not too ambitious. If you don’t give yourself enough time, you can end up feeling frustrated with how slowly it is going.

Where to start

If you haven’t decluttered and organized your home in a while, starting this project can feel quite intimidating. One of the ways of getting around this is by starting small. Pick a shelf, desk, or even a drawer. Then, give yourself some time and go through it until you finish it. Doing this will give you a sense of accomplishment and motivate you to tackle some larger areas next.

Stressful jobs: junk removal, decluttering, pack and unpack for a move. All of these are helped by using a professional organizer and move manager If you have hoarding tendencies, you may feel particularly listless about where to begin and how to choose what to get rid of. Our resources on hoarding and disorganization might be helpful here.

Safety first

Besides careful planning, another way of removing stress from a household junk removal is to take certain safety precautions. Most of these apply in both cases – whether you decide to do DIY this project or hire professional services.

One helpful tip would be to remove doors off their hinges. This will provide either you or the movers with more space, especially if you are removing some bulky items. Try using dollies and straps for any heavier pieces of furniture or appliances as well. This is the only way you can be sure you are protecting your back.

Also, try to disassemble all of your belongings that will allow it. For the most part, large furniture pieces can be torn apart into manageable pieces. There will be no other way to manage certain items, such as your pool table. Doing this can cause a lot of anxiety for some people, especially those that don’t fancy themselves the handyman around the house. The easiest way to stop stressing about it is to get someone who knows what they’re doing to handle it.

Protective equipment

Being scared of injuring yourself comes hand in hand with any estate clearing or downsizing. You are bound to have to deal with bulky and heavy pieces of furniture and appliances. Worrying about yourself or your family members getting injured can be quite a burden.

Ensure you are safe from injuries by wearing the right clothes and accessories:

Clothes that will give you good coverage but that you won’t mind ruining.
Protective gloves for your hands – the most exposed body part during household junk removal.
Sturdy boots that will protect your feel in case anything falls on them but also give you a good grip.
Safety glasses if you are using tools.
Wheelbarrow if you are doing any household junk removal in your yard. Your back will thank you.

Hiring the right organizing services and junk removals

As mentioned above, if you are wondering how to remove stress from a household junk removal, your best bet is to hire professionals to do it for you. However, even picking the people who are right for the job can cause a lot of worries. Here are a couple of things to look out for:

The company should be licensed and insured.
They should be able to manage the removal of any junk, anywhere on your property.
Ask if they handle recycling or donating items that are in good condition.
See if they will provide a free estimate in writing – this will make things much easier for you.

Conclusion

Chances are there will be some larger items you will want to get rid of, especially if you are conducting a boomer downsize project. You don’t want to cut corners here, because removing bulky items on your own in a hurry can lead to injuries or damaging your property. Your best bet towards getting this stressor out of the equation is to hire professionals who will handle your senior move and downsizing.

You might be interested in a free copy of the Table of Contents and 1st Chapter of my Book

Download a complimentary copy of the 1st Chapter of Regina’s 3rd Edition of her book, Psychic Debris

Dr. Regina Lark

regina@aclearpath.net

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Moving Management During the Holidays

Buying a new home is a taxing enough journey on its own. Throw in a global pandemic along with general holiday stress and you’re sure to be looking at one chaotic move. There are many factors to consider when buying a home during the holidays. Organizing for the big day involves time management, financial planning, and finding properly trained relocation specialists.

If you’re looking for advice on how to navigate such an exciting life event in these unpredictable times, you’ve come to the right place.

Moving Management

Working can be tedious and exhausting without help. Use a professional organizer to help ease the load.

When considering how you plan to actually move your belongings from one place to another, you may face more difficulty than usual finding any sort of help. Around this time of year, a lot of people are busy with prepping for the holidays and many are seemingly still, and rightfully so, hesitant to assist in any capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On top of relying on your often preoccupied friends and family, you most likely do not have access to the appropriate equipment needed for a big move. Renting moving equipment like a rental truck or dolly can prove to be a time-consuming headache as well.

In order to alleviate some of that pressure, we recommend our pack and unpack service where you will be working with our trained relocation specialists to help declutter your home and carefully pack away your boxes into our provided boxes and packaging. Having a relocation specialist take some of this burden can be a big help. Using our service will let you focus on some other aspects of the move as you can be as or as little involved as you wish.

Organization and Time Management

Having proper moving management goes hand in hand with organization and time management. It’s easy for some to toss aside any plan of action and dive headfirst into a project, but you will surely find yourself floundering without a proper plan in place. There are some often overlooked organizational tips that you will find helpful during your relocation. Here are some to prioritize throughout:

Make a To-Do List

Taking the time to sit down and write out the goals you wish to accomplish is a great way to stay on task. Not only that but referring to the list will help you remember things much easier during this busy time.

Set a Time Limit

With each goal you write on your to-do list, set a general time limit for each one. This gives you the ability to plan out the rest of your day and not spend too much time on one task.

Give Yourself Space Between Tasks

If you realize something is taking a bit longer than expected, give yourself some crucial small breaks in between tasks. Doing so will tremendously help you to succeed in completing tasks thoroughly while not eating up delegated time to other ones. The time in between will be a nice way to help you unwind as well.

Be Productive

Everyone’s organization and planning processes are different. For some, waking up early and starting the day off strong comes easy. For others, they become more productive as the day goes on. Finding which hours you are most productive and using that to your advantage will help you get more done throughout the day.

Knowing where everything with great organization is easily accomplished with a professional organizer If you feel as though there’s too much on your plate to sufficiently plan out your time and organize your move properly, you can roll the fees for our pack and unpacking service into escrow and we will unpack and organize for you. As a financially viable option, it allows you to completely focus on prepping your home for the holidays while we take care of the move entirely.

Financial Planning

Arguably one of the most important aspects of a move is the financial factor. Your funds may already be a little tight due to a loss of income because of the pandemic or you simply have budget restraints for the upcoming holiday season. Either way, a move can prove to be very pricey. What you individually factor into the price of your move will depend on your specific situation. Some finances to think about ahead of time include:

Furnishings for your new home
Repair, renovations, or maintenance
Upcoming bills
Cost of the move itself (gas, hotel stays, food, babysitter or pet sitter, etc.)

Try not to panic if you’ve already created your budget and you see some things you forgot to factor in. There are a handful of different financing options that may be available to you if you’re a bit strapped for cash. If you’re moving from one home to another you could have equity in your home in which case you may qualify for a home equity loan. This option can financially support you with starting a project in your new home, getting a larger or more convenient vehicle, or whatever else may reduce your stress during the move.

If you are not moving from home to home or you have no equity in your home, you may also want to consider a personal loan from your local bank, credit union, or online lender. Getting a credit card or increasing your credit limit is always an option, but is usually not recommended as it is easy to find yourself racking up some solid debt with a high interest rate.

During the holidays, everyone just wants to take that time to relax and unwind. Unfortunately, dealing with a move can drastically take away from that. But working smarter and not harder will give you the time back in your life to enjoy these moments with family and friends in a time when it is needed the most.

How Move Management Promotes Minimalist Home Staging

NASMM A+ accreditation represents superior level of excellence in Sr. Move Management The job of a realtor is much more than just finding homes and facilitating sales. Forward-thinking realtors offer their clients all the necessary connections to make the moving experience smoother. By working with a professional move management company, you can streamline the home buying and selling process for a better customer experience.

The expression ‘less is more’ may sound ridiculous when you think about trickling cheese on nachos. However, it holds absolutely true when it comes to prepping a home for sale. More often, minimalist home staging works wonders in creating a first impression and closing deals faster.

Unfortunately, many homes are often filled with personal memories and clutter, making them unsuitable for pictures or showings that would garner the price the client wants. Potential buyers don’t like to show up for an open view and feel like they’re creeping around someone else’s home.

Make your property appealing to potential buyers by moving away excess furniture and sentimental crap and letting the home speak for itself. To achieve that, move management can come in handy and help you declutter and sell your property quickly, and here is how:

Declutter the Home

Move management will help you get rid of all the clutter, including family photos, cliché quotes, and any personalized items in the home. By stripping the property of excess stuff and pieces that reflect the previous owner’s personality, you’ll be left with a simple, minimalist space that potential buyers can picture themselves in.

Professional movers also offer services to address trash, e-waste, shredding, and toxic waste. They can even organize an auction or an estate sale for more valuable possessions.

Make a Home Look Tidier

By sticking with the bare necessities, a room can appear tidy, chic, and even more spacious. That’s an art that furniture stores have mastered, and that’s why those tiny exhibition rooms in fancy furniture stores look dazzling.

When staging a home with unnecessary furniture and knickknacks for sale, it will simply look cluttered and closed-in. Move management can help you take away excess possessions and make the property more appealing.

Help Potential Buyers Imagine Themselves in the Home

When a home is filled to the brim with furniture and personal belongings, it’s difficult for potential buyers to picture themselves living in the home. For example, if a sensual nude portrait hangs on the bathroom wall, it may seem even harder for some people to imagine living in that home.

Move management allows you to take away any unnecessary stuff and stage each room with just the basics. This allows people to mentally move in with their own stuff and visualize how they’ll look in the new home.

Improve Customer Experience

When you collaborate with a reliable moving company, you will significantly improve service delivery to your clients. By connecting your clients with a trusted move manager, you’ll simply be demonstrating how much you care about their overall happiness and satisfaction. This will in turn earn your trust and attract more business.

Professional cleaners also have the experience and expertise to organize and clean properties quickly, which saves your client time, money, and the headache of rushing to do things at the last minute.

Organize Cupboards and Drawers

Don’t assume that no one will see those personalized portraits just because you stashed them in the bedroom cupboard. Some potential buyers are a nosy bunch – they will likely open cupboard doors and drawers to see the storage space. Move management will help you organize drawers and cupboards and dispose of any junk you don’t need.

Arrange for Thorough Cleaning

After moving out excess furniture and other possessions, your move manager can organize with a reliable cleaning company to carry out a thorough cleaning of the home before you set it up for sale. This will help eliminate lurking dust-bunnies and make the home spotless.

Professional cleaners have the right machinery and expertise to clean floors, walls, and the ceilings – ensuring that every potential buyer who walks into the property falls in love with it.

A Clear Path Can Help!

At A Clear Path, we offer a one-call service to make any home picture-perfect and sale-ready. Our team of experienced professionals and organizers can transform any property from undesirable to “got to have it.” Through our move management services, you can meet or even surpass your quarterly and annual sales goals by listing and selling high-end real estate as quickly as possible.

By converting your property into a blank slate, you can realize better results from your staging experience. Moreover, we roll our fees into Escrow to aid in packing, organizing, and unpacking all your client’s valuables and take care of the whole moving process. Contact us today to learn more about our move management services and how we can help you stage your property for a quick sale while keeping your clients fulfilled throughout the moving process.

Realtors Sell Homes Quickly, using a Sr. Move Manager

selling a home is best completed with team work and a sr. move manger is essential for any complicated sale

Many realtors and real estate agents follow the same old patterns of buying magazine and newspaper ads, updating Zillow, hosting a weekend open house, and placing a sign in front of the property for sale. Although it still pays to use these tactics to sell homes, closing a deal is where most real estate agents fail.

So, if you’ve got a property that you wish to sell or rent out ASAP, you need to do things a little differently. Many potential home buyers are not biting because most of these properties are more often cluttered and unorganized, making it impractical to capture eye-catching pictures or videos that would garner the price the client wants.

Move Management Can Help You Close Deals Quickly

Both moving and realtor industries are closely intertwined – their common goal is to help people transition seamlessly to a new home. Both industries also get the majority of their clients through referrals. As a forward-thinking real estate agent, you need to work with a reputable Sr. move management company to help you quickly stage your property for sale.

Moreover, time is always limited for any real estate agent. You’re constantly faced with urgent situations such as showing a client a potential home, scheduling an inspection, or working with an appraiser. By having an experienced Sr. move management company when staging your property for sale, you’ll be always ready to respond to your clients or brokerage.

Here are a few ways a move management company can help you sell your property quickly:

Transform Your Property for Quick Listing

Moving service providers typically support real estate agents in the home staging process to help exceed clients’ expectations and get top dollars for their properties. If your client’s using s sr. move manager to help sell a house is useful to the transformation accomplished through proper staging. home is overstuffed and overflowing with household possessions, a moving company will help you declutter and ready it for staging.

Many of the homes you list often require decluttering to pave way for the staging process. Additionally, if your clients need hand-holding through the moving process and getting rid of the stuff they no longer require, move management services will come in handy.

Some of the steps taken during the move management process include:

Helping your clients liberate themselves from their “possessions”.
Assessing your organizing styles and preferences
Managing the physical moving
Offering compassionate guidance through the tough decisions of moving homes
Offering meticulous expertise in sorting through papers and organizing critical documents
Coordinate junk and donation pick-ups

Move management companies are a critical part of the team you typically use for your listing. More often, clients will want to work with someone who can help them throughout the home selling journey. By helping your clients through the process of moving to a new home, they’ll highly rate you and spread the word about your services, earning you more properties to stage.

Improving Customer Experience

By collaborating with a reliable mover, you will significantly improve service delivery to your clients. Demonstrating to your clients that you care about their overall happiness and satisfaction by connecting them with a trusted moving company, you will ultimately earn more trust and business.

Although some clients may suggest organizing and cleaning their properties on their own to save a few bucks, it’s almost certain that they won’t produce the same level of results as professional movers. If you’re looking to close deals faster, it’s important to walk the fine line of advising your clients to engage the services of a professional mover for top-notch results.

Meet Quarterly and Annual Sales Goals

Working with a reliable mover will help you meet or even surpass your quarterly and annual sales goals by listing and selling more high-end real estate as quickly as possible. Reputable moving companies understand the importance of keeping your clients happy throughout the selling journey and will provide the best moving experience possible.

Flexible Contracts and Payment processes

Today, many reputable moving companies understand the importance of building trust by creating transparent payment processes. In fact, you can sign a contract with a mover and settle the payment in escrow as soon as the service is satisfactorily rendered and the sale is concluded.

Bottom Line

Virtual staging and other marketing techniques are easy and cost-effective ways to get a home market-ready. However, for real estate agents, it’s not a free pass to complete a sale. By transforming your property into a blank slate, you can achieve the best results from your staging experience. At A Clear Path, we have several years of experience working with realtors and real estate agents to declutter their properties for quick staging. We typically roll our fees into Escrow to pack, organize, and unpack all your client’s valuables and manage the entire moving process. Contact us today for more information about move management and how we can help you sell your property quickly while keeping your clients happy throughout the moving process.

Estate Clearing Secrets

timing and use of timelines are part of the relocation experience when using a Sr. move manager

Whether you are looking to declutter your own home or simply clearing your house in preparation for sale, the process is often tiring and emotionally consuming. It is even more challenging when you are clearing a deceased estate for settlement or sale with your loved ones items still left inside.

Besides these challenges, estate clearing is usually time-sensitive. Each project is different and has specific timelines and goals surrounding it. But with the right tips, you can manage the whole process without feeling emotionally drained.

Here are five estate clearing secrets

1. Formulate a plan

For an effective estate clearing, plan and start early. First, you should know when you will start and the time to finish each task. This will reduce the burden as settlement or sale days approach. Try to estimate the time needed to clear the whole house. Depending on the amount of possessions and size of the house, allocate at least a half a day for clearing each room. The process could take up to a week or even two weeks.

2. Find and keep aside all key documents

Before moving things in different rooms, it is crucial to find and secure key documents such as wills, bank statements, certificates of titles/property deeds, insurance policies, stocks certificates, tax returns, and receipts. Executors and solicitors of the estate may also use them in winding up any legal and financial matters related to the estate.

While searching for these documents, make sure to pay attention to details. Sometimes, people may store valuable items in unlikely places. It is, therefore, important to take time and search all the closets, including drawers, coat pockets, and high shelves.

3. Set aside wanted from unwanted

After finding the right documents, the next stage is to identify items that you want to keep and those that you would discard. The best way to simplify the process is to have family members identify the items they would like to have from the estate. This way, the remaining possessions can be removed more efficiently. On top of this, try to remove the wanted items first. It is also less burdensome to clear one room at a time. Clearing one completely before moving to the next will enable you to work methodically and stay on track.

With the items that you don’t want, categorize them into three subcategories: items to be given away, items to be sold, and items to be recycled. Selling some of the items will not only simplify the clearance process, but it will also bring in revenue, which you can use to offset some of the clearance costs.

4. Selling and donation process

Once you have sorted the items into different piles, you can then go ahead with the removal. It is better to have auctioneers or second-hand dealers come first. To speed up the process, engage a reputable firm to give you quotes for valuable items. After that you can donate what remains.

The good thing with items that go to charity is that companies usually come and collect the items from your property. Even if they can’t come, some local charities have small stores where you can take your donations. For the items that need to be disposed of, you can engage your local council to see if you can take advantage of their services before engaging a rubbish removal firm.

Alternatively, you can organize a garage sale. The only challenge with this approach is that it requires some planning.

5. Get professional help

If the estate has a substantial amount of valuable items, it is usually worthwhile to engage a credible estate clearing service. Apart from being physically and emotionally straining, some tasks are just time-consuming and monotonous. Other tasks such as moving furniture, cleaning, and hauling items require physical exertions. This is where professional estate clearing services could come in handy.

The main benefit of working with a property clearing firm is that it can offer its clients a customizable and comprehensive package that manages all the activities relating to this complex task. Trustworthy firms usually have a network of service providers who could offer useful support during the process. Moreover, they understand the logistical and emotional nightmares that come with estate clearance.

They will discuss with you about your priorities in the estate clearing process, determine if there is a need for maintenance, help you with selling valuable possessions, and may recommend a sales or rental agent.

Use A Clear Path as your estate clearing partner

If you are dealing with the daunting task of clearing an estate, you need a professional partner who is patient and understanding. With many years of experience helping our clients with estate clearing tasks, we understand the emotion and challenges that come with the process. Let our well-trained crew relieve you of these stresses.

Using a Checklist before downsizing will create an easier less stressful move

6 key issues using a Senior Move Manager

If you’re moving out of your old home late in life, you’ll be overwhelmed by all that needs to be done. Some of the considerations you need to make include packing, packing and unpacking for boomers with a Sr. move manager decluttering, scheduling movers, and selling the home. A senior move manager can help you with all aspects of moving you from professional packing, downsizing, to arranging furniture in a new space, so it feels like home. If you’re moving to a nursing home, the manager will also play a significant role. Here are some of the key issues of using a senior move manager.

1- Planning

The most important step in the moving process is planning. Senior move managers will liaise with your family members to agree on a timetable for the move. Senior moving services work depending on your pace and will walk you through all the steps of the move. One of the main aspects of planning is liquidating and downsizing.

A senior moving company will help you liquidate unnecessary assets. A senior move manager will help you sort the possessions you should keep and those you should discard. Move managers work with family members and seniors to determine which the fondest keepsakes are and what should be left to the new owner. Ultimately, a senior moving director will facilitate realistic decisions on the current items that should move and fit into your new home. Planning can be time-consuming. If you don’t know where to start your plan to move, consult a senior move manager.

2- Financial Exploitation

Hiring ordinary movers to handle your relocation may be a costly affair. Movers usually consider the tasks involved, such as sorting, packing, loading, and offloading, when setting their rates. Working with NASMM movers is different.

According to NASMM, senior movers have the experience of assisting in lifestyle transitions. These professionals also possess the emotional expertise to support you through the difficulties of moving at a late stage in their life. In this regard, NASMM movers don’t exploit their clients by charging exorbitant prices for their services.

3- Anticipate Challenges

There are some challenges you may overlook when moving. For example, you may have too much stuff that cannot fit in the new house, or the person you intend to leave your possessions when moving to a nursing home may not have enough room in their home. Hiring a senior move manager ensures that all these challenges are catered for.

Senior move managers are experienced in moving. This means they’ve seen it all. Therefore, the professional will not take anything to chance and will make sure they account for everything.

4- Prepare Adults For Assisted Living

Seniors are hesitant about moving to assisted living because they want to age at home where there are familiar possessions and memories. Sometimes adult children cannot convince their parents to move to assisted living homes. Many elderly parents think that when they go to a nursing home, they’re being sent away because they’re a burden. They’re afraid of isolation and loneliness.

A senior move manager will help the elderly understand the benefits of living in assisted living conditions. The move manager will mediate between the elderly and their adult children and try to address their concerns. The move manager will also recommend a nursing home that will best fit a senior based on their concerns.

5- Unpacking and Resettling

If a senior isn’t moving to a nursing home, the senior moving company will help them settle comfortably in their new home. Whether you want your new home to be like your old home or get rid of old memories, the manager will fulfill your wishes. This includes consulting you on aspects such as where furniture should be placed and what items should be stored in the garage or attic.

re organizing after a boomer move with a Sr. move manager A senior move manager is involved in unpacking your items. The manager will ensure all possessions are moved to the appropriate rooms and quickly unpack items you need immediately, such as crucial documents and medications. The manager will also arrange all items to optimize storage.

6- Support After The Move

A senior move manager’s role doesn’t end when you’ve settled in at your new home or the nursing home. Your manager will ensure all the possessions you left behind are donated or distributed to relatives. Your senior move manager will also be responsible for sprucing up your home before it’s sold.

The senior move manager will be involved with cleaning your old home, yard work, renovations, and repairs. The manager may also assign a real estate agent to undertake the sale of your home. The manger could also manage the estate sale and ensure the proceeds of the sale reach you or are distributed according to your wishes.

In Conclusion

Moving is quite a stressful experience, especially if you’re doing it late in life. With all the possessions you’ve accumulated over the years, you may have a difficult time downsizing. If you’re moving to a nursing home, you may want your possessions taken to your next of kin. If you’re moving to a new home, you may be worried about settling into your new home. A senior move manager can help alleviate your stress and facilitate a smooth transition to your new life.