When You Want to Sell in the Spring

Now is an ideal time to get your house ready to sell in the spring. One of the most important jobs you have is to declutter and the winter is the perfect time to take on that task. You spend a lot of time indoors and can focus on one room at a time.

We are not planning on selling our house but every winter, I pretend we are. The other day I tackled my closet. This is no easy task as the closets in our 1927 house are minute. I don't know if people had fewer clothes in the '20s but I can barely fit one season in my closet. So the other day I took a good look at everything jammed into the small space.

Here are the usual questions to ask: Have I worn this in the past year? Am I ever going to lose the 10 pounds (20?) needed to fit into those pants that still have the tags on them? (Okay, maybe you don't ask that question, but I do...) What about all the shoes on the bottom of the closet floor? Especially the ones that hurt after 30 minutes of wearing. (They are never going to be comfortable.) Get a large black trash bag and start loading it up for Good Will.

Next, bookcases. Am I ever going to read some of those paperbacks again? How about the hardcovers? Do I care about those authors? Could someone else enjoy those books? Box them up for Good Will.

Kitchen? Old pots and pans. Too many coffee mugs? Bring them to the office. Attic? Are there boxes still packed from the last move? Look inside quickly and get rid of the contents unless they have sentimental value. Basement? Old paint brushes, cans of paint, broken this-and-that. Get rid of them! (Dispose of paint and other paint like products properly. Chittenden Solid Waste can advise you.)

Do your walls need a fresh coat of paint? Now is the time for a new color but keep it neutral. Or touch up with the same color.

Don't worry about the garage. That can wait until the spring.

Don't wait until you are ready to sell to declutter. If you tackle everything room by room in the winter, you will have time in the spring for outdoor clean up, creating great curb appeal, and planting flowers.

So, the next cold or snowy day, pick a room, grab some black plastic bags and ruthlessly declutter. There are new Good Will stores in Williston and South Burlington. Oh, and another rule -- When you drop off your clutter to the Good Will, DO NOT bring anything new home!