This article was published in the August/September 2019 Issue of Vibrant Hutt Magazine – page 23.
Author: Deborah Hislop.

Vibrant Hutt Magazine showcasing the best of what the Hutt Valley has to offer.

Spotlight On Business: SORT OUT SERVICE – Assistance to sort out your home, page 23.

SORT OUT SERVICE – Assistance to sort out your home.

I am always excited to hear about and meet owners of brand new “start up” businesses. This month I have met Janice Swan, a Hutt resident who earlier this year set up her new home organising business “Sort Out Service”.
Janice is an extremely enthusiastic and energetic woman with a wealth of experience behind her in marketing, project management, property ownership and overseas travel. Like all good businesses Sort Out Service was born out of three things – necessity, desire and seeing a growing need. During her lifetime Janice has moved house and countries multiple times and has assisted friends and relatives with decluttering, downsizing and clearing out after the death of family members. She has become very good at it.
I don’t know about you, but I find sorting and decluttering quite difficult. I’m not a hoarder but lots of things have sentimental value, clothes might fit me again “after I go on a diet”, you know what I mean. Often when I finally do sort out clothes, shoes or general junk to donate, it sits in the boot of my car for months before I finally let go of it.
Janice knows about this and her business has come about because her friends and family started seeking her out for assistance leading her to realise there is a need out there for help. She is very aware that many people are time poor and that the thought of sorting out is often too much to deal with. Janice and her team are friendly and professional organisers who provide downsizing and estate clearance services in the Hutt Valley and Wellington Region. They are there to help people who don’t have time, strength or support to get the job done.
Janice likes to take the time to find out exactly what her clients are seeking to do. She provides a no charge ½ hour consultation to find out whether it is just a general sort out to get rid of unnecessary items, to get into a position to put a house on the market or is it to clear out a loved family member’s home following a death. This is often a very difficult task for families to undertake and to have professional help available makes a worrying task so much easier for everyone.
Many baby boomers are thinking about downsizing into an apartment or moving into retirement living after a life in a large family home. Gradual decluttering and getting ready to move helps this process, there is no need for storage, no stress and lower moving costs when the move finally occurs. It is also important that people are organised as they get older so they are not leaving a problem for their family.
Janice and her team are non-judgemental and efficient. They will help take the stress out of the difficult job of deciding what will be going to the new home and what is simply no longer required. They are happy to work alongside their clients or deal with everything themselves. Janice said that working together often results in a really simple process with double the man power and an ability to make decisions on the spot about what is going where. Piles are built up to be donated, thrown out or sold; the choice is there for the client to make as they go. Recently she worked with a client for 3 days, they had great fun thinking about where everything would go and they cleaned the spaces as they went so the end result was not only decluttered but cleaned too! Janice loves seeing the pride that clients feel from the results they achieve. It is a very satisfying feeling for her and for her clients. Janice says there are strong links between decluttering and general wellbeing particularly for women so there are multiple benefits from getting on with it.
Many of you will recall when house staging was new, now it is a huge part of making sure a property is presented to the market in the best way possible. Janice’s vision is that Sort Out Service will soon be just as vital and popular as house staging has become.
I was very impressed with this new business and would recommend that you take a look at the Sort Out Service website sortoutservice.co.nz. Janice can be contacted on 04 213 7341 or 021 227 3345 or by email to info@sortoutservice.co.nz.

If you would like me to feature your business in my column please email me at djhislop@gywlaw.co.nz.