If you made a New Year’s resolution to unclutter your life, you are not alone. By far, it is one of the top resolutions we hear people make every year. But this far into the month, you might be wondering how you will ever make it happen. That’s when we step in to help. We’re professional organizers that make getting organized a whole lot easier.
Since professional organizers offer a range of services, narrowing your search based on the services you need is a good place to begin. Do you need someone to help get your garage organized so you have space to drive your car inside? Or, perhaps your business office is feeling a bit cramped with old files and worn out equipment?
Some professional organizers work with real estate agents to assist in getting property ready for staging. Others might provide organizing and documentation of estate items for distribution to heirs. Whatever your needs, you’ll want to look for someone who can provide those specific services to meet your needs.
Once you have a list of candidates, look over their websites. Read their testimonials and see what others have said about working with them. Find out what they specialize in. LinkedIn profiles are useful, too. It is often interesting to see what professional organizers did before they chose to become professional organizers.
What Questions Should I Ask When Hiring a Professional Organizer?
You may want to have a simple checklist of questions handy, as part of your interview process. Here are the Top 10 questions we’ve been asked over the years.
- How long have you been a professional organizer?
- Do you have any training or certification?
- Do you provide a free estimate on projects?
- Is there a minimum size job needed to secure your services?
- How do you charge – by the hour, the day or the project?
- Do you charge for travel time?
- What are your rates?
- Do you remove all unwanted appliances or other items?
- Are you insured and bonded?
- Are all your workers covered by Workers Compensation Insurance?
During the interview, you will get a feel for how the professional organizer responds to your questions. Pay attention to how they respond to you as a person, too. Do they listen well? Are they patient? Do they ask you anything?
If you have a good feeling about one or more of the people you interview, don’t forget a key step – ask for references. If you are an individual with a home organizing project, be sure they include a reference from someone who has had them complete a similar task. If you are a realtor, ask the candidate for at least one reference who is also a realtor. The same holds true if you are an estate professional – ask for a reference from someone who is also an estate professional in some capacity. Then, follow through by calling those references.