DH and clutter

[pinkytoe]

We continue getting the house ready to sell if and when that time comes. Most everything is clutter-free and tidy except for DH's hobby room in the basement. Every horizontal surface is covered with papers or things and the furniture needs to be re-arranged to better advantage. Anytime I bring it up, he bristles so we are stone-walled on the topic. I imagine he thinks he can just throw everything in boxes and move it to another house. I am having a realtor come by in a week to do a market analysis so I would like to get it cleaned up. I feel like I am dealing with a teenage boy. Any ideas soon how to gently motivate him to clean up his space?

[catherine]

If it's confined to one area, I would leave it alone. Wait for the real estate agent to be the "bad cop." If it is going to be an issue in assessing the value of the house, the realtor will be the objective voice.

[iris lilies]

I agree with Catherine.

My DH’s clutter and stuff is not my circus nor my monkeys.

In Hermann, he gets the entire basement. He generously allocated a corner of the bunker to my flower show stuff, but I did not request that. That stuff could stay in a shed on our grounds or in one of the rented storage places near our house. But of course, on our grounds is preferred.

I am fearful, though, of a huge fight coming my way about a giant 1970’s bedroom set that I foolishly told him he could retrieve from his parents’ house when they died, because I didn’t care what our Hermann house looked like at the time. I am a idiot because I KNOW that once he owns something, he will not let it go. I had to do heavy negotiation before we got married about his awful dining room set.Back then, because he wanted to get married, he chose me over the dining room set.

This bedroom set has long pieces made for 1970’s shaped rectangular rooms.we have little square bedrooms in Hermann. It will not fit.

Now, I don’t have confidence I will win over this hideous bedroom set.

[razz]

While I appreciate how frustrating that must be for you, your DH needs control of his space unless a health or fire hazard.
I agree that an experienced realtor has dealt with such situations created by spouses, kids, grandparents, tenants, etc., and understands the family dynamics that create them.

[razz]

IL, can he place it in the basement for his man-cave?

[pinkytoe]

Sounds like I should let the realtor bring it up. I haven't told him yet that she is coming by so maybe that alone will initiate some action.

[JaneV2.0]

If I were shopping for a house, I wouldn't blink an eye at one cluttered room in the basement. (The basement itself might be a deal-breaker, but that's another story...)

[iris lilies]

IL, can he place it in the basement for his man-cave?
By “can he” yes, he has my permission to do that. Stupid use of space though that it is, he may use the entire basement in the way he likes. But see, he already has to load it ip with a giant ass desk and a cheap and ugly floor clock.

Keep in mind he is a carpenter and has lots of tools and needs room to work. And he has already set up a canning kitchen with, let’s see, currently 3 refrigerator/freezing units and a stove and sink. But he loves having all of his possessions piled against walls, taking up every square inch. That’s what his apartment looked like when I first met him.

And then, when I die, he can bring the god awful bedroom set upstairs into a bedroom and spend his time leaping over the bed to get to the door, or squeeeeeeezing between the dresser and the bed in the 1’ of floor space in the room. Because I will be dead and will not care.

And if you think this won’t happen…haha you do not know DH!

[Teacher Terry]

I am so glad that I don’t have to deal with that issue anymore. His office, the garage and partial dirt basement was a disaster. We sold the house with his office a disaster. The garage I made as neat as I could in a short amount of time. Let the realtor tell him. In a hot market it won’t matter.

[Tybee]

It sounds like you have the rest of the house looking really nice. In this market, I doubt it would make a bit of difference, and there are many men that would look at that and feel kinship and relief. I know my husband would...