5 Tips for De-Cluttering Your Home
Most people think that a clutter free home is in some far-off dream world. Well you can have the dream world today by taking 5 basic steps to de-clutter. Once the small stuff is taken care of, a Zippy Shell can help with the BIG stuff.
The secret to a de-cluttered home...
- Make the family responsible. Make each family member responsible for their own things. Teach children at a young age to purge the stuff they don’t need. Throw away old school papers, broken toys or unwanted clothes.
- One year rule. If you haven’t worn it, played with it, worked on it or you’re not even sure what it is after a year – throw it away!
- Start with what you can see. You can always tackle all those skeletons in the closets later. Many times we just skip on by the clutter that’s staring us in the eye on our tables and junk drawers.
- Open your mail by the recycle bin. This way most of the paper ends up where it belongs. Better yet, sign up for paperless billing on all your bank accounts and save boat loads of paper right there!
- Once a day trash pickup. Take the trash bin around your home once a day – you will be amazed at the amount of trash you find.
De-cluttering is the first step in making your home ready for your family or for sale. Once the everyday clutter is managed, think about the larger things and how they can detract buyers from your home when it is on the market.
Call and schedule a Zippy Shell meeting. Then, walk through the house with your realtor for tips on which items might need to spend some time in the Zippy Shell until you move into your new paradise!
What are your tips for decluttering? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter!
Zip Tips for Home Staging
One of the fastest growing real estate considerations in America today is something called “staging” your house. This means furnishing, decorating, clean-ups and ultimately arranging your home in such a way to attract increased buyer interest.
A recent national survey indicated that staged homes sold on average in 13.8 days, while non-staged homes sold in 30.9 days. Because of the housing market, staging your home is more important than ever for getting the best price when you sell.
Here are some outdoor staging tips to optimize your curb appeal, give you a competitive edge vs other homes for sale in your area, and sell your home quickly:
Ensure your flowerbeds are turned, weed free, and properly edged. All hedges should be evenly trimmed and the lawn regularly maintained. It’s a clear indication that you are a conscientious homeowner and that you value your home’s appearance. If you’re not into gardening, paying for a quick landscaping job might be well worth the investment.
Check to make sure all outdoor lighting is in good working order. Consider leaving them on slightly longer than normal to encourage potential ‘drive-by’ viewings from interested buyers during the evening hours.
First Impression: Ensure your front entryway is presentable. A great exterior accent piece is a freshly painted front door, which, when combined with a few seasonal potted plants will create a more welcoming entrance for prospective buyers.
Give things a polished feel. Polish the front doorknob or handle and replace a dented or tarnished mailbox. Make sure your home address numbers can be easily seen from the street to facilitate potential viewings.
Give things a fresh feel. Check to see if your aluminum siding or brickwork needs washing or your gutters need cleaning. If dead leaves are spilling over from your eaves troughs, buyers tend to get a negative impression.
Check the deck and patios. If you have a wood deck, make sure the stain or paint looks fresh. Good-looking patio furniture will contribute to the look of the backyard. If yours looks slightly rundown, consider purchasing a new set – something you can take with you when you move.
Don’t forget your about your lawn. Clean up yard clutter and put away the kids’ outdoor toys to help enhance the size of your yard. Also have a freshly mowed yard and keep it nice and watered throughout the time you are selling your home (hopefully only around that 13 day mark!)
If you have questions about home staging – let us know on Facebook and Twitter! We’d love to help out!
26 Ways to Save Energy In Your Home
This great infographic comes from the UK, but it’s a fantastic source of energy-saving tips! You certainly don’t need to try them all at once, but pick a couple per week for the next few months, and see what happens! Many of them aren’t even a huge inconvenience like you might expect.
What do you do in your home to save energy? Tell us on Facebook and Twitter!
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Packing Tips from Zippy!
Moving is made easy with a Zippy Shell!
We all know that moving isn’t fun. Let us just face that fact. Here at Zippy, we aim to make your life a little easier in that regard. So here are a few tips on packing:
- Labeling is king – if you haven’t invested in a labeling machine, buy one before you start packing. Label everything with the standard room and item. For example, “Living Room, books.” Number your boxes then keep a notebook with the numbers and contents.
- Pack room by room, and take it in small chunks. Start with a room and move from one end to the other packing as you go. This should stem the confusion a little bit.
- If you are using mobile self-storage (like Zippy!), make sure the last things you pack are the things you need the most (like the coffee maker, perhaps). That way you can unpack all the essentials then lock up your Zippy Shell when you call it a day.
- As your house goes on the market, start packing! Why wait until the last minute to pack and move? Doing it in increments makes it easier on the mind and body! In addition, it will lessen the clutter and your house will look great when it’s time for those open houses.
- Don’t forget your “Open Me First” box – dish towels, set of bathroom towels for family, toiletries, Kleenex, soap, pens, labels, and some snacks for the new destination.
With Zippy Shell you can take the hassle out of moving as it is delivered directly to your door. Making plans and packing early takes the hassle out of moving and helps get everything a little bit more organized. What are YOUR moving plans?
See our Facebook and Twitter pages for moving and storage tips, as well as franchising news!
Design Ideas for Your Kitchen Remodel
While you are looking at your old kitchen, it might be hard to envision what it could look like with a little TLC. What colors would work? Do we need new appliances? Do we need to rearrange things, or can they stay where they are? These are all basic design questions that must be answered before actually embarking do remodeling the kitchen.
The video below has some great tips to get your started and to help you brainstorm your way into a new beautiful kitchen!
Find us on Facebook and Twitter and tell us what YOU have done in your kitchen to spruce things up?
iPad2 Give-A-Way
Well Zippy readers, it is contest time again. We know everyone loves free stuff, especially when it’s an apple product. We’re all about community here at Zippy Shell. Both online and out in our local communities. We want to know what our fans like, what they do with their lives and what makes you all tick. We are inviting you to become a “fan” of Zippy Shell on Facebook. Yes, I am serious. You’re probably thinking “why would I follow a self-storage and moving company on Facebook?” Let me tell you, it is fun, entertaining and informative. We play trivia and give away great prizes, post all sorts of interesting facts, and you can win an iPad2. Our goal is to reach 500 fans and once we hit that magic number one of you fine people will be picked in a random drawing to win an iPad2. Entering the contest is simple, just click right here and click “Like” at the top of the page. Once you have “Liked” us, just stayed tuned for the announcement. We will announce the winner of our Facebook page 1 hour after we reach 500 fans. We will also be giving away a 2nd iPad2 once we reach 1000 fans. The faster we reach 500, the faster one of you gets a nifty new gadget.
5 Tricks to Create Small Living Spaces That Inspire | Home Staging Tips
One of the hardest parts of selling your home is making the most of those less-than-desirable spaces that every home inevitably has somewhere. With just a few quick fixes, though, you can spruce up those spots and sell your home in no time at all!
- No wasted space! When working with a small room, make all the space is utilized and maximized. These days you can buy organizers for any kind of funky wall space or corner you can think of. Scrounge around antique shops and thrift shops for odd-shaped and sized furniture if that’s what you’re struggling with.
- Furnish smart. With small spaces, you really want to maximize the walls. Consider, for instance, floating nightstands. They provide the utility you need, while making the room appear larger because it’s not taking up real estate on the floor.
- Old tips with a twist. The time-worn secret of putting a mirror in a smaller room is known by most homeowners. The real trick, though, is positioning it in a way that features something fun. Maybe it reflects a nice art piece, or the garden in the back – you don’t want it simply bouncing back to a blank wall.
- Think unique. You don’t want your walls to just be totally functional. If you’re selling, you also want to add some pizzazz. Use your walls for an over-sized graphic as a headboard. Or put up a collection of antique hats and mirrors to include style.
- Put everything in its place. In a small living space, it’s even easier to have extra clutter. Buy yourself some shelf organizers and closet organizers and make sure everything has a permanent home. No more junk drawers!
How have you turned your small space into a dream space?! Tell us on Facebook and Twitter!
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How to Create a Killer Loyalty Strategy
There are quite a few ways to build customer loyalty. The trick is to get those “swing voters” – the folks who don’t really have a brand loyalty, but are looking for something to push them over the edge. That’s where you can really win the battle for loyalty!
The key to this, then, is having a strategy to build loyalty. It isn’t going to just happen overnight. As with anything, the more direction you have, the better success you will have in the long run.
Some tips for your endeavor:
Offer: Success is reliant on how strong your offer is. For example, every 6th meal free, or every 6th haircut free will probably be strong enough to keep people coming back. On the other hand, 10% off your 10th purchase is probably not. It needs to be appealing enough for people to say ‘wow, that’s a good deal, I’ll remember that’.
Satisfaction: People need to be happy with your service to begin with. If they were not satisfied with their first interaction with you, it’s unlikely they’ll come back anyway. It sounds obvious, but it’s a reminder to get the little things right before worrying about a loyalty campaign. You can never underestimate great customer service!
Convenience: No matter how you cut it, people want loyalty to be easy. How easy is it to access your services? How easy it to come back over and over to what you offer? Is there a way to keep track of their loyalty – with perhaps a card, or an email? Brainstorm and be creative!
Promotion & Exposure: If you treat your loyalty program like it’s nothing special, your customers won’t either. Ask them every time they buy, “Do you plan to come back? What can we do to make that happens?”. Make sure that every person who comes in knows what is available to them.
Loyalty is important to any business. Make sure you have a good strategy in place, with clear goals and milestones – as well as regular reviews. It’ll help you business for the next 10 years!
The 4 Biggest Remodeling Mistakes
It’s 2012, as you are sure to have noticed. This is a great time to start thinking and brainstorming what kind of home projects you want to accomplish this year. Are you selling your home? Perhaps you are considering some remodeling. Maybe you just want to increase your quality of life. There is no better time to think about these things than when it’s cold and wet outside. By the time spring and summer roll around, you want to have plans in place so you can jump right in.
Inevitably, though, there are some common mistakes that we see pop up over and over again. Take these tips to heart, and make sure you don’t end up wasting time and money!
- Too fashionable. The more modern and “hip” your remodels are now, the more out-of-date they will seem in 5 and 10 years. Skip trends, and instead go with classic styles that match your home. Classic will always be in.
- Quick design. Your value will diminish if the project is not well thought out and thoroughly planned ahead of time. It is worth the money to hire an architect who knows exactly what you will need to do for your project to be a success. You’ll regret it later if you simply try to “wing it”.
- Over-investing in kitchen. Kitchens traditionally get the highest return-on-investment of any home project. They generally represent, however, only 5-15% of a home’s value. Only do the work if it really needs it, and only put that percentage of money into the project.
- Going green. Don’t get us wrong, environmental care is incredibly important, but when selling a home, the high price of going green does not often pay off. They also are not known for being the most stylish products. Just make sure to know what you are getting into when you go green.
With remodeling often comes reorganization. If you find you are stuck with more stuff than you know what to do with, give Zippy Shell a call today!
Also be sure to find us on Facebook and Twitter for daily tips about all things home-related!
Career and Relocation [Infographic]
With more and more people on the down and out and looking for new jobs, many folks are having to expand their search. Relocation was down for quite a few years as it became hard for two working people to transplant. It is starting to tick back up, however, with people willing to take more positions than they maybe would have in the past.
Check out the statistics below. What surprised you the most? Tell us on Facebook and Twitter!
