You might have read our post How to Clear a House. Here are some real-life examples to illustrate the variety of ways this can happen. You’ll see that there is a direct correlation between how much time you have and how many options are available to you.

No Rush to Sell Home; Estate Sale

This client had the open timeline that allowed the organizer to go through and separate things they would move, and for family to come through and choose items they wanted. The Client moved out, and because the house did not need to be sold immediately there was time to stage an estate sale and have time to deal with the leftovers. The adult daughter was picking up the slack on the back end. She was managing donation pick-ups and hauling.

In A Hurry; Hauler

An adult child managed a clear-out from out of town, but had extended family in town to help facilitate access and to be the intermediary with the owner. In this case We were there to separate the keepers from the non-keepers. We just used a hauler to clear out everything not being kept.

In A Hurry; Combo Hauler & Resellers

This client was on a very tight time line. They moved out and needed to clear the house to get it on the market right away. They wanted to recoup value of things as much as possible. Mixed in was art, mid-century modern dining table, piano, 10,000 books. A real mix of volume, potentially valuable items, everyday stuff and garbage. The house had a very steep driveway and a lot of stairs, making difficult access to the house, which is also a factor in deciding against an estate sale. The solution for a clear-out here was to use a furniture & art consigner, book reseller, piano dealer, and hauler.

In a Hurry; Charity & Hauling

A woman moving out of state wasn’t interested in selling items, just wanted to get the house cleared because escrow was closing.  Wanted to donate everything to charity. Uhuru took away useable stuff. Organizers took away small housewares and items too small for Uhuru to pick up.

Started Early for Full Remodel Project

Client’s remodel was scheduled a year in advance. Client and family started pairing down their possessions room-by-room. Brought in an organizer to help organize their office so the business could be transitioned to the interim location and back to the remodeled house with the least amount of disruption. Items that wouldn’t be moved to the interim location got put in storage unit during remodeling process.

Remember, there’s no set script to follow for how to clear a home. You have to choose the processes that fit your own timeline, budget, and circumstances. The key to have the most options and the least stress is to keep your home pared down to the essentials that you use and bring you joy. If you’re not living “lean” yet, start as small, but start as soon as possible!