All aspects of preparing for a move can be stressful, but perhaps one of the most time-consuming hurdles is the purging/packing process. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and are unsure how to start preparing your home to sell, you might consider the KonMari Method.
What is the KonMari Method?
Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizing expert, has written a book and now has a TV series on Netflix titled “Tidying Up: with Marie Kondo.” Her method is simple:
1. Go through your belongings one category (not room) at a time. Categories are:
- Clothes
- Books
- Papers
- Sentimental items
- Komono (the miscellaneous items, i.e. everything else)
2. Hold each item and ask yourself if it “sparks joy.”
Is it an item you’re delighted to have in your home? Or are you filled with annoyance, sadness, or stress whenever you see it? If it sparks joy, keep it. If it doesn’t, put it in a get rid bag.
3. Once you’ve gone through every item in your home this way, you can organize the items.
Put them in spaces that make sense according to where and how often you use them. Use boxes and special folding methods for clothing to keep things nice and neat. The KonMari method is supposed to make living in your home a joy too!
Why the Konmari method? How does it make selling a home more smooth?
When you only have items in your home you love, you take better care of them and it becomes easier to keep them organized. These principles are helpful for when you are selling your home because it:
A. Makes your home look more clean and put-together when buyers come to view the home
B. Simplifies the packing process: each box will contain only one category of items and you will only be moving things you really love.
If you dread preparing your home to sell and the whole packing process, perhaps the KonMari method can help you conquer that dread! The more clean and organized your home is, the more attractive it will look to prospective buyers. And when you love every single thing you are packing, it becomes easier to take joy in the moving process. Because at the end of the day, you won’t just be moving junk; you will be moving only your most precious possessions.
