Elena Nilan is the owner of Simple Living Strategies LLC, a residential organizing company. She offers home organization services such as sorting closets, bringing order to a basement or attic, and working alongside real estate agents to help the planning process of decluttering a home, which ultimately helps it sell faster.
PBN: What is a personal organizer?
NILAN: A personal organizer, or professional organizer, is a broad term, which is a professional that offers a wide range of services and specialties. I like to use the term “personal organizer” to indicate that my services are tailored to the needs of each client.
Professional or personal organizers help people organize physical space and objects, digital media, troubleshoot daily routines and habits, offer project management and productivity consulting. There are various associations that provide networking and education to professional members. I belong to the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals and serve as the secretary for the New England chapter.
PBN: How does your business fit into the real estate world?
NILAN: My business and others like it help to ease the stress of relocating. Moving can be overwhelming for people. There are so many steps and considerations involved in the process.
Real estate agents are thrilled when I help to declutter before staging and photos. I call decluttering before the move the “pre-staging” step. I remind my clients that people will pay for the square footage they can see. Decluttering makes staging a breeze and your home appears more spacious in photos. This, of course, helps the home sell faster.
An additional benefit is having less stuff to manage, move and unpack. With someone by your side, [it] reduces [that feeling of being overwhelmed] by leaps and bounds. Some real estate agents purchase organizing sessions as a gift for the homeowner to ease the stress of the moving process.
PBN: What services do you offer for those who are moving?
NILAN: I act as the project manager for the move. Moving isn’t typically something people do very often. It helps to have someone there every step of the way to ease stress. I keep the big picture in mind.
I help the homeowners declutter, organize for the packing crew, offer resources for other services they may need such as hauling, cleaning and packing supplies, and help them unpack to settle into their new homes. I guide decision-making based on the layout of the new home and brainstorm solutions for the new storage spaces.
Having an organizer’s help when unpacking helps the new homeowners settle in much faster, especially when they’ve decluttered before the move.
PBN: How has your business changed throughout the pandemic?
NILAN: I’ve pivoted my business to add virtual organizing to my service offerings and conduct my new client assessments virtually. Virtual organizing happens via FaceTime or Zoom. We connect by video chat so I can assess the space, devise an action plan to help coach clients through the process and offer accountability between sessions. The perks of virtual organizing are that it allows for more flexibility; I can reach people who live outside of my geographical area, and clients are empowered when they take on the process with my support.
But people still prefer hands-on help. In-person sessions are just like they were pre-pandemic, with some extra safety precautions in place. We wear face coverings, wash our hands a little more and take water breaks outside.
PBN: What are your goals for a post-pandemic economy?
NILAN: Surprisingly, my business only slowed down during the stricter phases of the pandemic. Starting in early June, I began working in homes with safety precautions in place and continue to work in person on a regular basis. I feel like more time spent at home this year has led people to reach out for help with problem-solving their spaces – designing home offices and classrooms in particular. Post-pandemic, I hope people continue to see the value of living in a more functional home that supports their daily activities.
Alexa Gagosz is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Gagosz@PBN.com. You may also follow her on Twitter at @AlexaGagosz.
