{"id":330,"date":"2022-04-28T20:05:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-28T20:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/28\/exclusive-legacy-list-star-matt-paxtons-guide-to-a-painless-post-pandemic-purge\/"},"modified":"2022-04-28T20:05:00","modified_gmt":"2022-04-28T20:05:00","slug":"exclusive-legacy-list-star-matt-paxtons-guide-to-a-painless-post-pandemic-purge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/28\/exclusive-legacy-list-star-matt-paxtons-guide-to-a-painless-post-pandemic-purge\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive: \u2018Legacy List\u2019 Star Matt Paxton\u2019s Guide to a Painless Post-Pandemic Purge"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

Shipyard Entertainment<\/p>\n

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Americans have been buying homes and relocating in record numbers over the past couple of years, and\u00a0Max Paxton<\/strong><\/a> is among the few who know just how hard this process is.<\/p>\n

Paxton has been helping people declutter their homes for years, both on A&E\u2019s \u201cHoarders<\/a>\u201d and the Emmy-nominated PBS show \u201cLegacy List with Matt Paxton.\u201d He\u2019s also the author of the new book \u201cKeep the Memories, Lose the Stuff<\/a>,\u201d which is full of lists and tips for anyone looking to relieve themselves of the many extraneous possessions that pack their attics, basements, and beyond.<\/p>\n

Matt Paxton\u2019s new book<\/p>\n

Amazon<\/p>\n

This Richmond, VA, native recently had to practice what he preaches while moving to Atlanta. In fact, he moved when he was right in the middle of writing his book\u2014and had to rewrite large sections of it since he learned so much in the doing.<\/p>\n

Curious to hear more about why decluttering is just so hard to do\u2014especially when it\u2019s your own stuff\u2014we chatted with Paxton about what he learned during his own move. He also dished plenty of guidance on what to purge\u2014as well as the few things you should keep\u2014whether you\u2019re downsizing, moving, or lightening your load.<\/p>\n

Matt Paxton on \u201cLegacy List\u201d<\/p>\n

Shipyard Entertainment<\/p>\n

How did you become a decluttering expert?<\/h3>\n

I got into this industry because, when I was 24, my dad, my stepdad, and both my grandfathers died in the same year. So I had to clean all their houses. That was the beginning. I\u2019ve learned a lot since then, especially recently, when I had to deal with a lot of their stuff that had gone into my attic.<\/p>\n

When decluttering a home, you suggest making a legacy list. What is that exactly?<\/h3>\n

You pick five or six items that are most important and tell your family story. I really encourage you to do that upfront and early, because that enables you to start to let go of things that are a little more mundane and don\u2019t matter as much.<\/p>\n

Where this really pays off is when you get into the garage. You find stuff [and], you\u2019re like \u201cthat\u2019s my grandfather\u2019s car charger.\u201d But you don\u2019t care, because you\u2019ve already told the big story about Grandpa. You\u2019ve already celebrated him.<\/p>\n

What types of things do you suggest we put on our legacy list?<\/h3>\n

Legacy list items are rarely expensive; they\u2019re usually highly emotional. Once we were going through the home of a family whose mother started the first Mexican restaurant in Richmond. They put their mother\u2019s recipe book on their legacy list. She had written down all of her recipes on her way to America. That restaurant eventually became a Hispanic Cultural Center. The recipe book told her story.<\/p>\n

So you pick a few things that tell their story, and get rid of the rest?<\/h3>\n

That\u2019s right. I like to say, \u201cYou don\u2019t miss the stuff; you miss the people attached to the stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paxton helping decide what to keep<\/p>\n

Shipyard Entertainment<\/p>\n

Is there one thing people should never throw out?<\/h3>\n

Yes, keep important paperwork like wills, financial documents, seven years of tax records, and the last two years of medical records. But when it comes to possessions, no one has ever said to me, \u201cMan, I wish I kept\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

What about collections that could be valuable?<\/h3>\n

Baseball cards and \u201cStar Wars\u201d collections are the things people talk about most: \u201cMy mom threw out my baseball card collection!\u201d But you really don\u2019t want the stuff; you just want the money. You don\u2019t miss stuff; you miss people.<\/p>\n

How about items you should always throw out?<\/h3>\n

China you can always get rid of. Nobody wants the china. That makes people upset, but most people don\u2019t have dining rooms anymore. Ask the family if anyone wants it, and if not, just sell it or donate it. Table linens, silverware, anything in the dining room. Nobody wants it. Even dining room furniture. It was a big deal when our parents and our grandparents were coming along, but not for the next generation.<\/p>\n

I was coming out of a divorce when I moved, and we were both like \u201cNo, I want you<\/em> to have the china!\u201d We never used it. Also, always get rid of your clothes that are two sizes too small that you keep hoping you\u2019ll lose weight and fit into again. You\u2019re not gonna.<\/p>\n

What is the most unusual thing you\u2019ve ever come across when helping someone clean out their home?<\/h3>\n

We found a bazooka once\u2014a rocket launcher in the trunk of a \u201967 Stingray Corvette. The car was beautiful, candy-apple red, and I opened the trunk, trying to find the paperwork, and there it was: a rocket launcher!<\/p>\n

The people I was helping are like \u201cOh, Dad! That was so like him!\u201d And I\u2019m like, \u201cI gotta call the bomb squad!\u201d But we had a military expert on site, and he told us it was just the launcher. There was no rocket in it.<\/p>\n

What would you say is the most valuable thing you\u2019ve ever found?<\/h3>\n

One guy, he knew there was a Picasso<\/strong> painting somewhere in the house. It wasn\u2019t a $20 million painting, but just a sketch Picasso had done for a friend, the guy\u2019s dad. We knew it was in the house, and we found it. But right underneath it, we found two Salvador Dali<\/strong> paintings. Those were legit!<\/p>\n

Wow! Were those paintings sold rather than going on a legacy list?<\/h3>\n

Oh, yes. And the proceeds significantly changed that family\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

Paxton helping with a painting<\/p>\n

Shipyard Entertainment<\/p>\n

Why do people feel the need to hang on to so many things that have no sentimental or financial value?<\/h3>\n

Guilt is a big reason. Somebody left you something 50 years ago, and you didn\u2019t like it, your mother made you take it, you didn\u2019t want it then, so now you\u2019re trying to make your daughter take it. These items are being guilted for three generations.<\/p>\n

When people are moving, they\u2019re often tempted to throw everything in boxes and say, \u2018I\u2019ll go through it later, after we get there.\u2019 How do you convince them to do it sooner rather than later?<\/h3>\n

That\u2019s great in theory, until they have to pay for those boxes and the people to move them. So I tell them to check out the calculator I\u2019ve created<\/a> on my website that lets people see how much time and money it\u2019s going to take to pack up their house.<\/p>\n

When they go through it, they\u2019re like \u201cThis is going to take a month and a half\u201d or \u201cIt\u2019s going to cost me $25,000!\u201d Then they say, \u201cOK, I gotta downsize.\u201d The spreadsheet speaks louder than the spouse\u2014no offense. Let the math be the one that decides.<\/p>\n

Paxton helping clients declutter<\/p>\n

Shipyard Entertainment<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the biggest mistake people make when they\u2019re trying to downsize?<\/h3>\n

The biggest mistake people make is they try to take on too much. Don\u2019t try to tackle it all in one weekend. You\u2019ve got to really baby-step it. Just get started, and don\u2019t try to do too much too early, or you\u2019ll quit and never finish. Don\u2019t try to tackle the garage or the attic all in one day. Go the opposite way, start small, like a drawer or a shelf. Or the junk mail on the dining room table that you haven\u2019t used since last Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n

What should you do with all the belongings you\u2019ve decided to toss?<\/h3>\n

I\u2019m really big on donate, donate, donate. In all fairness, I am Goodwill International\u2019s decluttering expert. You can drive right up, and people will lift it right out of your car. It\u2019s good because you\u2019re not throwing it away. It\u2019s being recycled.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your very best tip for moving\/downsizing?<\/h3>\n

I\u2019d just say value your time more than your stuff. Don\u2019t spend all this time sorting it and selling it. You\u2019re not going to get what you think it\u2019s worth, ever. Beanie Babies, they\u2019re not worth anything. Longaberger baskets, they\u2019re not worth anything. Donate it, and get on with your life. You\u2019ll be happier without the stuff.<\/p>\n

How do you handle these concepts in your own life, now that you\u2019re living in Atlanta?<\/h3>\n

We are practical minimalists. We have stuff, we just don\u2019t have a lot of it. As cheesy as it is, there\u2019s a lot more in life with less stuff. Everyone\u2019s finding that coming out of the [COVID-19] pandemic.<\/p>\n

The post Exclusive: \u2018Legacy List\u2019 Star Matt Paxton\u2019s Guide to a Painless Post-Pandemic Purge<\/a> appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com\u00ae<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shipyard Entertainment Americans have been buying homes and relocating in record numbers over the past couple of years, and\u00a0Max Paxton is among the few who know just how hard this process is. Paxton has been helping people declutter their homes for years, both on A&E\u2019s \u201cHoarders\u201d and the Emmy-nominated PBS show \u201cLegacy List with Matt…Read More→<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}