12, Nov 2024
At some point in our lives, we all experience grief. This intense emotional state typically involves sadness and crying. In the movies, we often see people eating ice cream straight from the carton or numbing their emotions with a more potent substance. However, today’s fast-paced world still has high expectations… Read more
13, Sep 2024
I was honoured to be a guest on the Your Estate Matters podcast with hosts Nicole Garton and Greg Brennand of Heritage Trust. Their podcast focuses on estates, including helping Canadians build and preserve their legacies. We discussed my background and how I started my company, Out of Chaos, over… Read more
20, May 2024
Serving as someone’s executor is a role with significant responsibilities. One critical task is obtaining, managing and retaining the essential documents for a deceased person. In fact, proper documentation is crucial for the legal administration of an estate. During our 20+ years as professional organizers in Vancouver, Out of Chaos… Read more
15, Apr 2024
After over two decades of working in the organizing and downsizing business, we’ve learned that people usually come across these categories of items when they clear out their parents’ house. Brown Furniture Brown furniture is a term furniture dealers use to describe items constructed from solid wood. Some brown furniture… Read more
18, Sep 2023
Many times, I’ve mentioned the benefits of downsizing. The people who downsize enjoy a safer home with lower maintenance even if they do not move to a new house. But it isn’t easy. The costs of downsizing are emotional and financial. And those costs depend on what you plan to… Read more
15, May 2023
People rent storage units for many reasons. They might need to store household goods during a home renovation or when moving from one house to another. Occasionally, families need to downsize an older relative to a smaller home, and they need more time to sort through all the possessions, so… Read more
18, Apr 2022
Clients contact Out of Chaos to clear out a house after the owners have moved to a smaller home. Sometimes the homeowners have passed away, and the heirs need to sell the house quickly. However, they don’t have the time or ability to handle all the work that the estate… Read more
17, May 2021
When helping clients declutter and downsize, they often wish to sell possessions that they no longer need or want. When placing items for sale, there is often confusion about an item’s value and worth. First, let’s look at a few definitions. Definitions Market Value This is simply the most probable… Read more
22, Mar 2021
Many of our residential clients who are moving, downsizing, or decluttering ask us about selling their unwanted goods by consignment. To help readers learn more about the process, I invited Tina Beer Hamlin of Coast Consignment to tell us all about the consignment process. Tell us about Coast Consignment. Coast… Read more
16, Nov 2020
I read an excellent and touching article in the New York Times entitled “Down the Basement Stairs and Into the Past.” The author recounts his experiences when decluttering and downsizing memorabilia. As a professional organizer, I help people go through boxes, bags, and bins of their collection of souvenirs, inherited… Read more
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Our family engaged Linda after the initial consultation meeting, when she blew away any other competition we had also vetted, with her depth of knowledge, experience, enthusiasm and clearly strong leadership skills. She listened to us, and not only ensured that our guidelines were adhered to, but also went above and beyond to keep our best interests at heart.
— Anna Y.