Selling Your Clutter - How to get some cash for your clutter

I am constantly being asked by clients how they can get some cash from the things they no longer want. The bad news is, the market is not what it used to be. That rug that was appraised at thousands may only be worth hundreds because things are only worth what the market will bear. The good news is there is a new way to sell things to make sure you get the best price for the items you no longer need.

Estate sales or yard sales can be effective tools for selling but sometimes the work involved to set up and price everything is not worth what you make. Practical Solutions is exploring a new local online auction option where items bring the most the market will bear using a company called Max Sold. It works especially well for those who are moving and have about two weeks after they vacate for us to stage and host the sale.

We are using Max Sold to host a trial sale to see if it is a good option for our clients. One of our long-time employees is retiring and downsizing her own home so she agreed to be our guinea pig. Here's how it works. Practical Solutions helps clients sort through their belongings and stages what the client chooses to sell. Max Sold's staff then comes in to photograph and list the items for the online auction. The auction opens and bidding begins. After the auction closes, those who won the bid are notified and have a window of time where they pick up the items they purchased. 

It seems to be a great way to empty out a house and make some cash while doing it. Those selling their items have the opportunity to preview the auction items before the sale goes live to make sure they approve each item in the sale and can watch online to see how their sale is going.

If this seems like something you might be interested in, take a chance to see how it works. We will be sending out a link to the site when it goes live next Friday, May 8, 2015 so make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter to receive up to date information. 

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One Step Away From Being Organized

My college-aged daughter sent me a text that said "Thanks so much for teaching me One Step Away From Being Organized. I just wish my roommate understood it." One Step Away From Being Organized was something my children heard a lot growing up when they got close to putting something away, but didn't make it all of the way. Each time I said it, I would get an sigh and their shoulders would slouch as they went back to put it away the right way. I am quite sure they didn't like hearing it so it is nice to know my first child is learning to appreciate those lessons.

Getting organized is difficult. Staying organized is even more difficult. Even when items have a home, they must always be put back there or soon chaos reigns again. It's so easy to just get close to putting it away because you are busy, saying that later you will somehow miraculously have more time and be able to put it away properly. It doesn't take but a few seconds to take the time to put something in it's place. However, if you don't take these seconds to put it away properly, you will spend minutes and maybe hours looking for something because it is not in it's place. You may even find it is easier going to the store to buy another, creating more clutter problems.

Take that extra step to stay organized!