Realtors, advice-books, and old-fashioned common sense tell us that hiring professional tradesmen to do things right can be a wise investment in the long run. Even many former weekend warriors have relented and used professional painters, plumbers, electricians, landscapers, and interior decorators to add value to their homes.

The latest trade to be added to this list of experts is the professional home organizer. This is an individual who is trained to survey a room, several rooms, or an entire house, and almost magically make the clutter and chaos go away. He or she adheres to the age-old adage that there is a place for everything, but can take that concept to creative levels consumers might take weeks or months to accomplish on their own. Their fees vary, with some charging by the hour, and some naming flat fees for their services. Careers in professional organizing are on the rise nationwide as one of the uniques types of entrepreneurial opportunities created by a healthy economy.

Anna Tonkin of Get It Organized! has been organizing homes and offices for the past several years, working with homeowners, office managers and Realtors to achieve organized bliss. Her clientele includes homeowners who bring her in to make sanity and logic out of any space in a house. For these regulars, she also offers post-organizing periodic maintenance visits to keep both their visible and hidden-from-view environments clutter-free. "People become entrenched in their habits, not thinking before putting things away, just to get them out of view. Once I set them up, I try to help them establish a routine for logically thinking about where everything goes, so that their habit for orderliness becomes routine," says Tonkin.

Tonkin also works with real estate professionals who hire her to set the stage for a quick home sale. Maureen Higelin, a Realtor in Roseville, CA uses Tonkin to de-clutter closets, garages, kitchens and home offices to impress would-be homebuyers. "I use her as a resource when home sellers don't have the time to set up their home for effective presentation. Even if the house is empty, Anna can add color and life to the place by bringing in fresh flowers, special potpourri, and colorful towels and accessories. Sometimes even a simple doormat makes a big difference when buyers form first impressions, " she says. "It also greatly frees up my time to take care of the business of marketing the home and getting potential buyers through."

Another Realtor who uses Tonkin's services tested her out personally before referring her to clients. "About five years ago, I began having Anna organize my own homes when I would buy or sell, which can sometimes be more frequent when you're in the business," says El Dorado Hills, CA Realtor Kathy DeBord. "I guess I got hooked on having someone come in who had an eye for the best use of space," she says. DeBord believes so strongly in Tonkin's talents, she is currently using her services in preparing a newly-built home to receive its occupants. Using blueprints, Tonkin and her crew are planning closet organizers for every room in the house, as well as pullout drawers and shelves in the kitchen cabinets and pantry. "These are move-up buyers who are also adding a cottage on their property for an elderly parent and want it all set up to be senior-friendly before she moves in," says DeBord. "Anna is even creating a special drawer to separate her medications."

Cathy Skidmore of Granite Bay, CA is a homeowner who literally will not make a move without Tonkin's expertise. She has used her services on four different occasions and swears by the time-management factor a professional organizer can help with. "Anna has been a godsend when we moved into a new home, sold it, bought an older home, and then moved into a rental while we renovated that one, " she says. "Instead of just moving everything each time, Anna separated and got rid of or stored stuff we wouldn't be using with each successive move so that we didn't have to pack it. With five kids underfoot, I needed efficiency and advice, and Anna literally rescued me each time."

Professional organizers can be found in the local Yellow Pages under "Organizing Services: Household and Business. " They are also available through local chapters of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) or www.napo.net.

Published: August 18, 2000

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A veteran of the real estate and homebuilding industries since 1986, Dena Kouremetis first joined Realty Times as a new homes writer in 1998. Since then, she has authored four books, written consumer columns on new homes issues for websites and newspapers all across the country, contributed to builder trade magazines, appeared as a guest expert on several radio shows and even created a ten-chapter podcast for LendingTree.com’s homebuilder website, iNest.com, now available on iTunes, entitled Uncharted Waters; Navigating the Purchase of a New Production Home. Kouremetis recently joined her local Folsom, CA Coldwell Banker office as a broker associate while continuing to write for the real estate industry. For the past three years, she has been training real estate agents for both the resale and new homes industries, putting her experience, research expertise and gift of expression to work to help others entering the business.