David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com By Jordan Grice Don't you just hate it when you can't seem to find anything at your desk or in your home office?   Life as an agent can get pretty busy—especially with the housing boom these days—and a messy and unorganized workspace can breed frustration and waste valuable time that you could use to engage with your sphere and build your brand.   As many continue to work from their home offices, now is as good a time as any to take stock of your items and tidy up a bit to help make your workweek a bit easier. After all, a little spring cleaning never hurts.   Here are a few ways that you can reorganize your home workspaces and offices.   Get Rid of Clutter Making time to file documents away can help alleviate frustration and prevent it from coming back. Create a designated storage space for frequently used files so that they are easy to find when you need them. Color-coding and labeling folders and drawers can also help. For...

  David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com For many American families, the past year has meant more time at home, more challenge in balancing work, school and play, and more time spent mastering new skills in the kitchen, in the garden and online. The result, as light appears at the end of the shut-in tunnel, is a houseful of disorganized ‘stuff’ and pandemic-weary people who don’t want to think about sorting it. So, as we enter the traditional spring-cleaning season, here are seven tips from professional home organizers to help you turn your disorganized mess into a pleasing, more efficient space: Take It Slow -  Clutter can feel overwhelming, so approach it one room or one pile at a time, rewarding yourself with short rest breaks.  Stay Focused -  It’s not unusual to start cleaning your desk, take something from it into your bedroom and get distracted enough to start cleaning the mess in there. Steel yourself to stick with the task you started. Sort Strategically ...

David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com Are your kitchen cabinets bursting at the seams? Are the countertops cluttered with gadgets, spices and a miscellaneous pan or two? If you’re lamenting the lack of space in your small kitchen, keep in mind the answer doesn’t always involve more square footage. The editors at marthastewart.com selected and reviewed a variety of products and ideas for effectively storing kitchen items when you’re shy on space. Try one or two of the following to help solve your storage needs and create a less-cramped kitchen: Declutter the pantry.  The first step to fitting everything neatly into your pantry closet is to conduct a thorough review. Chances are you have more than a couple of items past the expiration date. Toss them in order to free up more space, and refrain from buying more until you’ve used up most of your current stock. Put the items that you have on hand into a recipe search to make meals with your existing stock. Organize utensils.  D...

David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com Home improvements don’t necessarily take a lot of time or money—and you don’t have to be an experienced DYI-er to manage a simple face lift. A few easy fixes can make the difference between tired and a bright new look: Change out the kitchen hardware.  Add personality to kitchen cabinets and drawers with new pulls, available in a huge array of styles and materials. A couple of hours spent with a screwdriver can offer an attractive payoff.  Swap out the light fixtures.  Replace those dated glass globes with more contemporary styles. Hang a new chandelier over the dining room table. As long as the wiring is already in place, changing the fixtures is a fast project that brings major improvement to any room. Bring the outside in.  Especially in winter, bringing plants into a room adds a feeling of freshness and vitality. Choose from a variety of indoor plants that don’t require a lot of care—or if you have a truly black thumb, go...

  David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com If you’re like most people, you have probably accumulated numerous sheet sets, blankets and towels over the years, causing your linen closet to be disorganized and cluttered. Here are some tips to help you simplify and create an organizational system that works. Get Rid of Things You Don’t Use You may have old towels that you only keep because they were given to you as a gift or sheets that your adult children had when they were in elementary school. Cut through the clutter and donate items you no longer use. Create an Organizational System That Works for Your Family You may want to designate one section for each person’s linens, or you may want to put all the queen-sized sheets on one shelf and all the twin-sized sheets on another. You may choose to sort towels by size and color, or you may have different sets for each bathroom and store them in different areas.  Dividers can keep linens separate and prevent stacks from falling over...

  David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com Overstuffed and disorganized drawers can be frustrating, especially in the bedroom. Whether you're searching for the perfect top or hunting for a matching set of socks, it’s never easy finding a needle in the haystack, especially when the haystack is a pile of mismatched clothes. Learn how to properly organize your dresser drawers with these simple tips.  Start at Empty The first rule of decluttering is to clear the space of all items. Start by removing all of the clothing in each drawer. Starting with a blank canvas will help to not only organize, but decide whether or not you want each item in a drawer, on a hanger or in a donation box. Declutter and Donate Now that you have emptied your dresser drawers, it’s time for the hard part—deciding what to keep and what to let go of. There are many ways people navigate this process, but one in particular comes to mind. Do you wear it? Look at each piece and determine whether or not you’ve ...

David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com Creating the closet of your dreams could be in closer reach than you may think if you’re willing to take matters into your own hands. With a little creative inspiration and some basic DIY skills, you may be surprised by the stylish space you can design by yourself. Start With a Vision Creating the perfect closet space begins with your ideas. Think about the details such as how you want the space to look and the amount and type of storage you need. Envision everything from colors and finishes to the physical shape. Get Practical Once you’ve dreamed up your ideal closet, compare your ideas with the space you have available and adjust your plans to fit your footprint and budget. This step allows you to get creative with ways to maximize your space and use every available inch to create a closet that gives you the function and aesthetic you desire. Create Closet Zones An envy-worthy closet isn’t just a stunning space, it integrates functional eleme...

David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com Fences are one of the greatest sources of controversy when it comes to homeownership. Some people focus on the benefits, such as privacy and safety, while others complain about an obstructed view or consider a fence a sign of unfriendliness. Before you install a fence, think it over carefully. Reasons to Put up a Fence Many homeowners consider a fence a practical safety and security measure. If you have kids or pets, a fence can keep them in the yard and protect them from other people and animals. If you have belongings that are frequently left outdoors, a fence can prevent theft. If you own a pool, a fence can prevent accidents. Your homeowners insurance company may even require one. If you live in a neighborhood with houses close together, it’s hard to have privacy if everyone else can see into your yard. A fence can allow you to relax outdoors away from prying eyes. Living on a busy street can mean suffering from noise pollution. Maybe you d...

David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com Do you feel like you're constantly battling clutter around the house? You're not alone, and nothing can feel more frustrating than not being able to locate something when you need it, or wading through piles of items to get there. Below are five, easy organizational tips that can offer major upgrades: Tension Rod for Pot Lids If you store your pots and pans in a drawer, install a tension rod along the inside and slip your pot lids behind it. No more rattling pots or hard-to-find tops! Gallon Bags for Drawers Organize your underwear or t-shirt drawer by separating your items and storing them in gallon-sized plastic bags. You'll never lose 10 minutes hunting for that pair of socks again. CD Holders for Tupperware Remember those old CD racks? Repurpose them in your Tupperware cabinet by using them to keep your lids separate, sorted and easy to grab. Repurposed Wine Rack Gifted a large wine rack that rarely feels f...

David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com Many people know by now that old depression glass is highly valued, and that some of those old ‘character’ lunch boxes kids carried to school in the ‘70s could be worth as much as $1,000 today. But some of the stuff cluttering up your space doesn’t need to be nearly that old to potentially be worth big bucks. It may be worth checking out your attic, basement or garage in search of some of the vintage items wanted today by antiquarians and collectors: Typewriters  - Because they are now a thing of the past, old typewriters are a curiosity valued at between $200 and $600, depending on brand and condition. Vinyl Records  - For some enthusiasts, vinyl is back, so your old records are worth somewhere between fifty cents and up to $1,000 or more for coveted first pressings. Classic Video Games  - The value of original Pong games has quadrupled to $2,000 or more, collectors say, with other titles valued from $600 to well ...

David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com Most of us avoid organizing our homes because the prospect seems too overwhelming: too much to tackle and no clue where to begin. But according to Better Homes and Gardens, by following a few simple rules, you’ll be able to break organizing into manageable tasks, and be on your way to a tidier home. Get started by trying the following: Change your mindset. In order to get organized, you must be willing to let things go. And don’t get bogged down thinking that the task is too large and will never be accomplished. Organizing is an ongoing project, so every step should be considered progress. Be okay with disruption. Decluttering means rolling up your sleeves, pulling things apart and digging through everything. Set up five bags or boxes and label them “donate,” “trash,” “recycle,” “shred” and “other rooms”—then start divvying up your belongings among them. During this process, learn to live with the mess and keep the endgame ...

David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com By Zoe Eisenberg While the new year is often a time of revitalized goals, it is also an excellent time for purchasing unwanted clutter and junk, Circle a weekend in the first few months of the year and plan for purging. The following areas are a great place to start. Kitchen cabinets . Pull everything out of your kitchen cabinets and examine your items for frequency of use. If you have duplicates, worn items or well-intentioned gadgets you rarely use, pull them aside for donation or re-sell. Linen closets . When was the last time you itemized your linen closet? Empty out your space and look for linens that are stained, damaged, faded or, in general, have seen better days. Cut them up into rags or store them for drop cloths for your next painting project. Storage spaces . Storage spots--whether it's the attic, garage or that closet in the basement--are often packed with items that we really got let go of. Go through each sto...

David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com This time of year, family life can get a little messy. School schedules and sports activities mix with work commitments and, before long, the house is as cluttered as the calendar. Fall is the perfect time of year to recommit to an organized household so you can keep the chaos contained. With these tips, you can make small changes to help you get organized and stay that way. Embrace routines. The idea of dedicating large chunks of time to organizing and tidying the house can be overwhelming. However, making time to clean as you progress through the day can help control clutter and keep the time commitment more manageable. Commit to cleaning up the kitchen after dinner each night. Set expectations for kids to pick up their rooms before bed. Before long, routines become productive habits that make a visible difference. Purge the excess. Over time, nearly everyone collects too much stuff, and clutter is often more an indication of...