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Realty Estate News and
Advice * Feature Story
August 18, 2000
REALTORS and Homeowners
Discover Time and Sanity With Professional Organizers
by
DENA AMORUSO
Realtors, advice-books, and
old-fashioned common sense tell us that hiring professional tradesmen to
do things right can be a wise investment in the long run. Even many
former weekend warriors have relented and used professional painters,
plumbers, electricians, landscapers, and interior decorators to add
value to their homes.
The latest trade to be added to
this list of experts is the professional home organizer. This is an
individual who is trained to survey a room, several rooms, or an entire
house, and almost magically make the clutter and chaos go away. He or
she adheres to the age-old adage that there is a place for everything,
but can take that concept to creative levels consumers might take weeks
or months to accomplish on their own. Their fees vary, with some
charging by the hour, and some naming flat fees for their services.
Careers in professional organizing are on the rise nationwide as one of
the unique types of entrepreneurial opportunities created by a healthy
economy.
Anna Tonkin of Get It Organized! has
been organizing homes and offices for the past several years, working
with homeowners, office managers and Realtors to achieve organized
bliss. Her clientele includes homeowners who bring her in to make sanity
and logic out of any space in a house. For these regulars, she also
offers post-organizing periodic maintenance visits to keep both their
visible and hidden-from-view environments clutter-free. People become
entrenched in their habits, not thinking before putting things away,
just to get them out of view. Once I set them up, I try to help them
establish a routine for logically thinking about where everything goes,
so that their habit for orderliness becomes routine, says Tonkin.
Tonkin also works with real
estate professionals who hire her to set the stage for a quick home
sale. Maureen Higelin, a Realtor in Roseville, CA uses Tonkin to
de-clutter closets, garages, kitchens and home offices to impress
would-be homebuyers. "I use her as a resource when home
sellers don't have the time to set up their home for effective
presentation. Even if the house is empty, Anna can add color and life to
the place by bringing in fresh flowers, special potpourri, and colorful
towels and accessories. Sometimes even a simple doormat makes a big
difference when buyers form first impressions," she
says. "It also greatly frees up my time to take care of the
business of marketing the home and getting potential buyers
through."
Another Realtor who uses
Tonkin's services tested her out personally before referring her to
clients. "About five years ago, I began having Anna organize my own
homes when I would buy or sell, which can sometimes be more frequent
when youšre in the business," says El Dorado Hills, CA Realtor
Kathy DeBord. "I guess I got hooked on having someone come in who
had an eye for the best use of space," she says. DeBord believes so
strongly in Tonkin's talents, she is currently using her services in
preparing a newly-built home to receive its occupants. Using blueprints,
Tonkin and her crew are planning closet organizers for every room in the
house, as well as pullout drawers and shelves in the kitchen cabinets
and pantry. "These are move-up buyers who are also adding a cottage
on their property for an elderly parent and want it all set up to be
senior-friendly before she moves in," says DeBord. łAnna is even
creating a special drawer to separate her medications."
Cathy Skidmore of Granite Bay,
CA is a homeowner who literally will not make a move without Tonkin's
expertise. She has used her services on four different occasions and
swears by the time-management factor a professional organizer can help
with. "Anna has been a godsend when we moved into a new home, sold
it, bought an older home, and then moved into a rental while we
renovated that one," she says. "Instead of just moving
everything each time, Anna separated and got rid of or stored stuff we
wouldnšt be using with each successive move so that we didnšt have to
pack it. With five kids underfoot, I needed efficiency and advice, and
Anna literally rescued me each time."
Professional organizers can be
found in the local Yellow Pages under Organizing Services: Household and
Business. They are also available through local chapters of NAPO
(National Association of Professional Organizers) or www.napo.net.
| Having
spent many years in the homebuilding industry, Dena Amoruso
is a published real estate freelance writer and columnist,
specializing in new home issues, trends, products and designs. Her
columns appear in the New York Post as well as other newspapers
throughout the U.S |
other articles:
Sacramento Bee
November 14, 1999
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