A while ago, I was asked to place a value on a home that was located out in the country. As I drove past the place I thought wow... this has everything a buyer could ask for! A nice 40-acre parcel on a dead end road, the exterior of the home had just been updated with attractive new siding and an expansive new deck could be seen off the side of the home. The property also had an enormous pole shed, which would be a real husband pleaser. If you own a country farmette in this area you always want a good shed for plenty of storage and a place for a workshop area. So I could hardly wait to take a closer look inside the home. It had to be terrific! I parked in the driveway, and enthusiastically walked over to the kitchen door on the side of this home. I was certainly expecting to see great things! As most Realtors know all too well, you cannot always judge the book by the outside cover. However, this one looks really fantastic!
The door opens, I say hello, and I bite my tongue! Holy Smoly... what a mess! As I surveyed the interior landscape, there was total disarray in the kitchen and I was taken back by what my eyes were seeing. The rest of the rooms too, were in a jumble of turmoil. Compared against the outside, which was neat as a pin, the inside was an astonishing contrast of piles and stacks of things. I have seen this before; what may look like horrific housekeeping, garbage and clutter to anyone else seemed to be daily life to the person who greeted me. My first thoughts were this is going to be beyond home staging. I silently bet that the clutter here was something more than clutter. Most people can categorize and part with things.
When a cluttered home become out of control, is when the stuff starts to interfere with the other family members lives. The person I was facing may have what is known as OCD Hoarding Syndrome. That is when a person keeps large amounts of items that others perceive as worthless, useless and excessive. The family members sometimes feel anger and resentment towards the hoarder and find living with them overtime becomes impossible, sometime resulting in a divorce, as was this case. From what I have read, they tend to be reclusive and secretive. Sadly it is a disease that has an attached stigma, there is the shame because they are unable to stop or change.
Oh My! I've personally never experienced viewing the home of a hoarder, but it seems like such a sad, desperate disease.
That is a good picture. Ofcourse if it were a listing that is one picture you would not have in the mls. I once had a similar listing. I offered to go and help her declutter.
Mary,
Yikes people can live like this? we have a clutter drawer and it drives me nuts...