Expert: Jamie Novak - 10/17/2005

Question
Hello,

I am a journalism student at Sacramento State University.

I have an article - that is open to publication -regarding new home buyers. Not only about how hard it is to find a home, but how hard it is to fix a new home up - inside and out.

You appear to be an expert on the subject. I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me on the subject.

1) How hard is it to move and how can people learn to throw things out when moving into a smaller space?

2) Can someone teach themselves how to do these things or is simplifying life easier said than done?

3) What's a common mistake young home buyers make when they are trying move into a new house?

3) Are there any other comments you'd like to make about fixing up homes?

Thank you so much!

Also, could you please leave me your full name and title to turn in as a source.

Thank you so much for your time!

Jimmy Spencer

Answer
Hi Jimmy, Good luck with the article. Please let me know if I can give you any more information or expand on any of the answers here.

Please keep in mind that I require my name, title and web address to appear in any material.

How hard is it to move and how can people learn to throw things out when moving into a smaller space?

Moving is one of the top five stressors, but it does not have to be. If you plan and prepare then it can be simple and fairly stress free. And yes anyone can learn how to pare down. The key is to adopt a charity, find a local one and post the phone number in a prominent place,  and then ask yourself key questions such as, “do I use and love this?� “when is the last time I used this?� “will the safety standards change?� “is it easy to use and care for?� “does it have all its pieces?� If you can live without it let it go to a new home where it will be used and loved.

Can someone teach themselves how to do these things or is simplifying life easier said than done? Simplifying is a skill and can be learned by anyone, all it takes is practice.

What's a common mistake young home buyers make when they are trying move into a new house? One of the most common mistakes is to try to do a whole project at one time. They key to getting things done is to break up large tasks into smaller more manageable pieces and spread them out.

Are there any other comments you'd like to make about fixing up homes?

Create a timeline and budget and stick to it as closely as possible. Remember it is a process and there will always be more to do, so take it slow. And if you are merging households the key to blending is to team up and create a common vision for the space.

Jamie Novak Professional Organizer and Author of 1,000 Best Quick and Easy Organizing Secrets www.JamieNovak.com 1-866-294-9900

Addionally here are the biggest mistakes:

Biggest Moving Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

1.   Not setting a realistic timeline. So that you are not stressed out, it is important to plan for setbacks and put buffer time into your timeline.

2.   Procrastinating. To avoid this trap, set a kitchen timer for twenty minutes and do a small block of time often until you are done.

3.   Packing things you’ll never use. Be very selective, place items you love but will not use in a memory box. Then pack only what you will use and love. Remember this is a fresh start, take only what is current.

4.   Not packing like with like. When you pack boxes of miscellaneous items this leads to disaster. You end up digging through boxes looking for stuff that wastes lots of time. And it costs you money if you need to go out and replace it.

5.   Doing it all yourself. When people offer to help let them. It makes them feel useful and allows you to continue to make memories before you part ways.

6.   Planning a yard sale or saving things to sell online. This is only a good idea if you are actually going to follow through on it. You are going to be very busy, and you might not want to add something else to your to do list. Plus you may end up with more money buy claiming the tax deduction.