Selling a Condo & Downsizing

9 hours - Declutter a property for sale

Project Goals

Wanting to move closer to downtown, my friend Denis had been trying to sell his condo for a while. His last realtor told him his condo was too cluttered and didn’t attract offers from potential buyers. He was getting lots of visits, but very few offers.

Denis took this advice to heart and started getting rid of furniture mostly, and digitizing movies so he could let go of his ample collection of DVDs.

When I came onto the scene, the space didn’t feel jammed packed anymore, but Denis felt like he needed some help completing the process. He also wanted to have fewer things to move to his new place.

My Process

First things first

The first thing I did was scope out the place and assess the amount of work / number of hours needed to complete the job. We had a look around and quickly realized that closets and cupboards needed some help. The main space had been cleared out, but clutter lurked behind closed doors. Since there was little organizing necessary, Denis was pretty much packing up his things to move, I estimated that one full day of decluttering would be sufficient to make great progress.

I also suggested some tasks the homeowner could do on his own to speed up the process, until our decluttering day:

Decide which linens to keep, including sheets, towels, extra blankets, etc.;
Separate winter clothes from summer clothes;
Shred receipts and other papers you don’t need to keep.

Tackling the closet

2.5 hours

The first space we tackled was Denis’s closet. It can be really daunting to let other people sort through your clothes, because most of us express who we are through what we wear, and he likes clothes A LOT!

To help him make some decisions, we piled clothes that were in the same category and approximately in a similar style on the bed. By showing him items that were similar (5 white dress shirts for example or 8 pairs of jeans) he was able to keep only the best ones. I think he was quite shocked at the number of clothes he was able to let go of.

All the cupboards

6,5 hours

Next up were linen + storage closets and cupboards. That meant donating a few suitcases, DVDs, decoration items, electronics, small appliances, linens … a lot of linens and streamlining cleaning products.

We worked on making as many decisions as possible during that day, so Denis only a few categories to go through on his own later on.

To assist Denis in the process, I asked him a few questions. This process is simple and easy when you ask yourself the right questions and answer then honestly:

How many towels do you usually use in a week?
You’re going on a trip, which of these suitcases and bags do you usually grab?
What important papers are you keeping for tax purposes or as references?

HOT TIP: One only needs one or two sets of bedsheets, per bed and a couple of towels per person.

The Results

After our session and completing some more tasks I left for him, Denis was finally ready to put his condo back on the market. The property was on the market for only 75 days. Considering, a good chunk of this period was close to the Holiday Season, I would say it’s pretty great. It even sold a bit faster than he anticipated.

When it was time to finish packing and move, knowing the space was going to be smaller (from a 968 square foot condo, to a 592 square foot apartment), and also loving his new ‘’lighter life’’, Denis was willing to let go of even more stuff.

It was hugely useful that decluttering was done in stages, giving Denis time to digest the experience.

Par ses questions et son mode d'intervention, Caroline m'a conscientisé sur les habitudes, qui ont un impact significatif sur ma façon de consommer et de rentabiliser mes biens. Tout en me prodiguant des trucs et des conseils, elle m'a surtout aidé à faire mes propres choix afin de réduire considérablement mes biens tout en maximisant l'usage de ceux que j'ai conservés.