My husband and I recently sold our three-bedroom, 1920s-era bungalow. As we inconveniently listed it during one of the worst housing markets EVER, it took four months for it to sell.
As anyone who has sold a house (particularly during a buyer’s market) knows, when your house is on the market it is no longer a place in which you LIVE—ie., a place to kick off your shoes, pile mail on the table, or cook anything that leaves even the slightest odor or mess. Because at any moment, you might receive a call from a realtor who’s standing outside your door, wanting to show the place to a potential buyer RIGHT NOW.
It’s kind of like living in one of those Ikea showroom vignettes. Buyers want to see a picture-perfect representation of life in the house, yet don’t want to believe that real people actually live there.
So we began to live a surreal existence in which every time something was used, it was immediately put away. Every time something got dirty, it was immediately cleaned. Every time something drifted out of place, it was immediately returned to where it belonged.
This went on for four months—and though I’m sure I complained plenty about the constant dusting, vacuuming, and picking up—I LOVED IT. There were never dishes in the sink, papers on my desk, or piles of laundry on the bedroom floor. In fact (thanks to a little OCD), there was never a sock on the floor, a crumb on the counter, or a hair in the tub. Walking through our house was like walking through the pages of a shelter magazine.
Better yet, it was such a pain to keep things in order that it was easier just to get rid of them. So if we couldn’t find a place for something, or got tired of cleaning around it, it would go on Craigslist, Freecyle, or out on the curb. Unloved clothes were sold or donated to make our closets look more spacious. Old paperwork was finally shredded, and we even paid a service to digitize our photographs. It helped, of course, that we were making a long-distance move and could take little with us (the photo was taken after most of our furniture was sold).
I thoroughly enjoyed those blissful months of minimalist living, and now that we’re in an apartment, I hope we can continue some of the habits we developed. (It takes a lot more discipline, though, when hundreds of thousands of dollars aren’t on the line!)
I think the following house-staging habits will be most effective as we try to maintain a minimalist household:
1. Have a place for everything, and (religiously) put everything in its place.
2. Keep ALL surfaces clear. If you see something sitting on a counter, put it away immediately.
3. Clean as you go. Wipe down counters, appliances, tubs, etc. immediately after each use.
4. Get rid of everything that isn’t necessary or important to you.
5. Try your darndest not to bring anything MORE into the house.
The fact that a complete stranger could ring our bell in five minutes—with the express intent of JUDGING our house’s appearance and cleanliness—was all the incentive we needed to keep it looking spotless. Now that we’re once again settled, I’m trying to keep this attitude (pretending, for example, that our landlord could drop in at a moment’s notice) and with any luck, enjoy a similarly clean, serene, and clutter-free household.
Sometimes all it takes is a little money on the line! ;)
Good motivation and great tips!
What a great perspective to keeping things cleared out and ultra-tidy. I would absolutely love it! Do you have a trick to getting the kiddos on board?
Thanks for the comments!
No kiddos in the household–but if there were, I’d likely have resorted to some form of bribery. ;-)
Do you have any photos of your minimalist house? I’d love to see more of it!
Great tips! I can really use these at home!
Great job! I love that pic!
I love your site. Came across it when looking for packing tips as every trip I attempt to pack lighter..an art!
Not sure about going as far as the attached photo though. May as well stay in the office as go home every evening…although even the office has a print, coloured sofa and plants. Think I will still need the odd vase of fresh flowers. If I walked into someone’s house looking like that, I would wonder if I was considered to be ‘clutter material’. Still, I do get the point – and I do NEED to minimalise.
Wow i love this pic! This is my dream room! We have a similar living room with a few extras though but love the light spacious feel, your pic looks like it’s from a home magazine!
We live in a condo. Most of our friends bought bigger houses when they retired. If I didn’t read your site and other minimalists I would think I was the only person around who didn’t want to accumulate lots of “stuff”. Some one asked us where we store all our other things and we said we didn’t have other things. I do have plants that winter inside and go out on our balcony during the warm months. One thing I did want was a washer and dryer in our unit.
We have a 5 ft by 5 ft storage space in the basement of our condo building. We store out of season clothes in our suitcases. My son’s Navy treasures are there as are my DH’s telescopes. Periodically, we go down there and find things to give away. I have no idea what I would do if I were living alone in a 4 bedroom house as one of my friends does.
I had to share this story with you…
I, too, secretly love staging my home. We have moved twice since being married and having kids, and it is the ultimate motivation to declutter and keep everything neat.
BUT…
My husband was a realtor the last time we moved, so he knew I had a system and could be ready at the drop of a hat for a showing. One morning, the office called me and said he would be there in 30 minutes to show the house. Plenty of time to finish feeding the baby and get out the door. About 5 minutes later my daughter had just polished off her huge breakfast. She promptly projectile vomited all over herself, her high chair, the floor, and allll over our dog, who freaked out and started running around the (carpeted) house. Yeah, I had to cancel that showing! ;)