Categories
Home Insights Home Owning Tips Newsletter Featurettes

3 Ways Clutter is Hurting Your Happiness

The problems with clutter…

The urge to de-clutter often stems from a simple annoyance, like stepping on a Lego or running into furniture that’s too big for the space. But in order to really commit to a more minimalist lifestyle, you’ll want to consider the deeper ramifications of having too much “stuff”.

Here are some insights you can use for downsizing your belongings, and how doing so can affect everything from your expenses to your well-being….to selling your home.

 

Problem One: Clutter is expensive

For many of us, a successful shopping trip is one where the cart is filled to the brim with good deals — not one where we successfully avoided the tempting sale section and bought only what we needed. Once the habit of getting a good deal takes hold, it can seem impossible to say no to another knick-knack or a second set of novelty wine glasses — or to see that these items will be a waste of money in the long run.  Of course, it isn’t just the buying of “stuff” that makes it expensive. Storing it can also get pricey. Too many people are paying thousands of dollars per year to store items they’ll never use or see again.

 

Problem Two: It isn’t making you happier

If your cluttered home stresses you out, you’re not overthinking it and you’re not alone. A recent UCLA study shows that women with a high density of household objects feel more stressed than those with less stuff.  It’s not hard to see why: Well-maintained homes are the ideal portrayed in every magazine and movie, but the expectation to buy more stuff also weighs heavily on most Americans. The end result? Families purchase things they don’t need and don’t have space for, then feel stressed that their houses don’t resemble the ones portrayed on HGTV.

 

Problem Three: It makes it harder to sell your home

Today’s homebuyers expect to see decluttered homes with clean walls, minimal décor and extra storage.  To list a home that will appeal to the masses, most sellers may need to depersonalize by boxing up personal items and photographs (and maybe change up furniture arrangements) — but sellers with overly-cluttered homes may have to look into investing in a storage rental unit to get their home in peak selling condition.

 

Considering selling?

Decluttering is usually the first step to selling your home, and we can help advise you on that – and the rest of the process.  Call your Rector Hayden Agent today!

Categories
Home Insights Home Owning Tips Newsletter Featurettes

When a Tree Falls from a Storm, Who Pays for the Cleanup?

Recent Bluegrass spring storms have everyone asking…

Who pays for the damages caused by a fallen tree?

Article 4 - 300 small size

It’s important to know that once a tree is down, homeowner’s insurance only comes into effect if there is property that is damaged. So if a tree falls cleanly onto the lawn, then the homeowner will have to pay for 100 percent of the tree removal costs. If a tree hits any property covered by the homeowner’s insurance policy, such as a driveway, fence or the house itself, then the policy will cover all repair and tree removal expenses, less the deductible.

That describes a scenario where a homeowner’s tree falls in his or her own yard – but what happens if the tree was rooted in your yard, but falls into your neighbor’s yard? If property damage is caused, your neighbor will have to file a homeowner’s insurance claim on their own policy.

If no damage is caused, and your tree falls clear into your neighbor’s yard, everything gets a bit stickier. Good manners dictate that you should, at minimum, offer to pay for some (if not all) of the removal expense.

Consider this: if valuable property of yours blew into your neighbor’s yard, you would expect to be able to retrieve it. This should apply to a not-so-valuable fallen tree as well – it’s still your obligation as it was something residing on your property. Besides, the discord that could come from ignoring the problem is likely worse than the expense of removing the offending stump and branches.

Having good neighbors often means being a good neighbor, so roll up your sleeves and extend a neighborly hand!