pexels asphotograpy 101808Downsizing and decluttering can be an emotional and overwhelming process, but it’s also an opportunity to create a fresh start. Whether you’re preparing to sell your home or simply looking to reclaim your space, reducing excess belongings can make a significant difference. A well-organized home not only enhances your daily life but also increases the appeal of your property to potential buyers. In this guide, we’ll share practical tips on downsizing, staging for a quick sale, and organizing your home effectively to create a space that is both functional and inviting.

Downsizing Tips

Whether you’ve just decided to list your house or you’ve had the idea for a while, it’s always a good idea to downsize your belongings prior to moving. Almost all of us simply have too much stuff, which is made even more evident when preparing your home for sale.

We’ve seen many clients struggle after they’ve moved into their new home because they discover packed items that they don’t actually want or need anymore. Time and money were spent on getting these items to the new home when they didn’t need to be. In many cases, we’ve seen clients who didn't have the energy after a previous move to downsize after unpacking, so the unwanted items just keep moving with them, time and again.

We see a new home as a fresh start. We love making any space refreshing and peaceful for our clients, but new homes even more so. With that in mind - seeing the new home as a blank slate - we encourage and help our clients to only bring items with them that they love and/or utilize. How much lighter would your home feel if it only contained items that bring you joy and purpose? We sometimes hold on to things because of perceived obligations or expectations of others (*cough* wedding gifts that we don't necessarily use or want), which takes up both physical and mental space. But our homes don't need to be storage spaces for the expectations of others.

Perhaps the previous home had been lived in for decades with quite a few sentimental items. Of course these items are special and irreplaceable, but we remind clients that it’s the emotions and memories associated with the items that matter the most - not the item itself. We’ve seen great success in taking photos of certain items, then containing the photos in a memory/coffee table book for clients and their families to reminisce over. This ensures the sentiment and story remains, whilst the item itself no longer takes up valuable space in the home.

Curb Appeal Upgrades

First impressions matter, especially when selling your home. Enhancing your home's curb appeal can make a significant difference in attracting potential buyers and increasing its perceived value. Simple upgrades like fresh landscaping, a newly painted front door, and updated exterior lighting can instantly make your home more inviting. Adding seasonal flowers, cleaning up walkways, and ensuring your lawn is well-maintained are easy yet effective ways to create a welcoming atmosphere. A well-presented exterior sets the stage for a positive viewing experience, making buyers eager to see what’s inside.

Staging is Essential

We’ve worked with realtors enough to know a few key tips for staging a home to sell. The number one thing they tell us is to empty the home out as much as possible so that potential buyers can imagine their own belongings inside. When a potential new home is too cluttered with the previous owners belongings, it turns potential buyers off because they can’t see past the “clutter”. Even though our belongings are precious to us and we don’t see them as clutter, our style may not necessarily match with a potential buyer’s, which could be distracting enough that a sale is passed up.

When selling your home, though it may be tough, try to take emotions and sentiment out of the process. Let a stager come in and make the space as appealing as possible for a quick sale. Ultimately, you don’t want the house sitting on the market for an extended period, depreciating its value. Stagers are very good at making homes appealing to the highest number of potential buyers, strengthening your chances of selling quickly.

Local stagers also have the ability to emphasize Calgary’s unique lifestyle, which can be quite helpful when appealing to buyers from other markets. By inviting in elements of outdoor adventures, local vibrant art, our near-constant sunny days, not to mention our proximity to those gorgeous Rocky Mountains, potential buyers get a sense of the core of the Calgary community.

Decluttering and Organizing

The key to making any space feel open and inviting is to NOT fill it with stuff. Whether you’re trying to sell your home or just wanting to declutter for Spring, it’s important to focus on your overarching goals for your home. If you’re moving soon, but feel overwhelmed with belongings, it's likely time to downsize your stuff. There’s not much sense in paying to move belongings you don’t want anymore or have no use for. By decluttering and downsizing prior to your move, you’ll only bring items you love and are useful. It’s very easy to simply bring everything, however, we’ve seen this lead to issues with storage space in the new home. Ultimately, this will lead to your new home looking exactly like your old home, bringing back the same cycle of overwhelm and stress.

We’ve seen great success with clients starting the downsizing process months in advance of their move, working one room at a time. By the time move day comes, the only items packed up are the ones deemed useful, sentimental, or that the family loves. No more hauling around obligatory items (i.e. unwanted or unused wedding gifts, inherited items that have no use or sentimental value, souvenirs from friends/family members’ vacations, etc.) from one house to another, over and over again. This process alone saves a significant amount of space, not to mention unpacking time at the new home.

If you’re simply wanting to declutter prior to Spring’s arrival, many of the same principals apply. Perhaps you’re overwhelmed with the sheer amount of stuff in your home and just want simplicity back in your space. We say it all the time, but life happens! When we get overwhelmed with stuff, it’s not a reflection on our ability to “keep our home clean and tidy”. The fact of the matter is that we’re all busy. Life is much faster than it used to be. Kids grow up, habits change, circumstances alter from one year/month/week to the next. Having systems in place for your belongings is extremely helpful as they can be tweaked as life happens. Whether you create these systems yourself or hire Professional Organizers, the nice thing about having designated “homes” for your belongings is they are easy to maintain over the long run.

Utilizing Product

Another key to keeping your space decluttered and organized is to make use of organizing products that fit your space and work within your daily habits. Whether it's shelving in a storage area, drawer organizers in the kitchen and bathroom, or a system of hooks at the front door to hold your keys, we’ve found organizing products to be essential for any organized home.

Here are a few of our favourite essentials:

  • We love these acrylic bins from The Home Edit for use in pantries, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and pretty much any area in the home. They look incredible, are quite versatile in terms of what they can contain, are durable, and clean easily (by hand). They come in an open-front option as well, which works great in pantries.
  • These bins by IKEA are another favourite and are a bit more economical than the Home Edit. They are equally as versatile and stack easily. They come in quite a few sizes, ranging from 5L to 130L, depending on your needs.
  • Turntables are such a helpful item in cupboards and pantries, as well as under the sink. We love them in pantry and cupboard corners where items can be hard to reach, as well as in higher cupboard shelves for the same reason.
  • We adore a spice drawer, especially when equipped with an organizer like this one. It makes cooking so much easier and also looks amazing.

Of course, we can’t talk about organizing products without mentioning a label maker. We simply can’t live without them! In terms of simplicity, we love this Brother labeller because it’s very easy to load and unload the label tape, and it’s extremely user-friendly. It can accommodate different label tape sizes as well. We’ve happily used this item in clients’ homes many times.

Downsizing and organizing are about more than just clearing out clutter—they’re about curating a home that reflects your current needs and lifestyle. By thoughtfully reducing what you own, you create space for the things that truly matter, making your home more peaceful and functional. Whether you’re preparing for a move or simply looking to refresh your space, these strategies will help you achieve a more streamlined and enjoyable home environment. Remember, the goal is not just to remove excess but to make room for a home that serves and inspires you every day.