Design Challenge: THE DREADED DROPZONE OF CLUTTER

Cluttered spaces? Soaring Ceilings? Odd room size? We’ve faced our share of design challenges! Thankfully with the advent of Pinterest there are tons of photos and inspiration just waiting to be found!

Each issue, we will tackle some common design problems that have stumped our readers. Send us your current home photos and we will scour the depths of Pinterest to find the best Pinspiration to solve your home challenges!

DESIGN CHALLENGE

Clutter feel like its burying you alive? What about that dreaded dropzone by the back door? Yes, we hear you and understand your dilemma. When you have multiple children in multiple activities, the white flag of surrender is often raised in the face of all the STUFF! We hear you and have solutions to this common family problem.

Reader, Stacy Freeman sent us her backdoor area and a cry for help! What was once an entry way area intended for fictional times of repose and leisure cups of tea – or at least that is what we imagine these spaces should be in our dreams! - has become a “catch-all” of sporting surplus, instruments, school papers and anything else that has to come and go. Stacy told us she hates having a table there but doesn’t know

how else to contain the overflow of items.

Well do we have some ideas for her!

PINSPIRATION!:

Cubbies to rescue! Shelves and cubbies can provide the organization and visual flow necessary to live a chaotic life filled with zen solutions. Whether you buy premade shelves or have custom built-ins created, you can utilize most any drop zone space to contain the clutter. We are also die-hard believers in doors, doors, doors. Yes, we all crave the perfectly curated look of backpacks and shoes placed all neatly on hooks and in rows but we all know that is a mother’s fever dream that simply does not happen in the real world of family chaos. So, yes, put those doors on! Even premade shelves without doors can have them added by ordering doors fit to size from you local hardware store. Then you can slam them shut with glee and enjoy the sight of clean lines and bare floors.

Make sure and think about all the items frequently left in the zone: chargers, phones, tablets, equipment, backpacks, mail, shoes…are we making your eye twitch yet? Take an inventory of the most items that collect in the space and plan a home for them. Think baskets, hooks, shelves and crates, you can get stylish with your containing and still maintain function. But most importantly, leave extra space! Inevitably you will find something else that needs a new home and will utilize it in the future. Better to plan now then have to purge later.

We love the idea of a bench incorporated into your drop zone. So many times you need a place to perch when packing a backpack or putting on shoes. This will come in handy in so many ways and also works great in a space that already has a window in it. Work with the window, you will love the result.

ABOUT A CAREER IN REAL ESTATE

At F.C. Tucker Emge REALTORS®, our mission is to match people with homes, but the most important aspect of real estate centers on the relationships we have with our customers, clients, colleagues, and everyone else that makes the industry hum.

Since the world is filled with all sorts of people, we like our agents to mirror the diversity of the community around us. Almost all of our agents come from a different career entirely, and represent a rich cross-section of the Tri-State. Very rarely does a person start and end their real estate career on day one of their working life. A much more common trajectory is for people to fall into the real estate world from another career for one reason or another. There are as many different types of REALTORS® as there are houses!

We are always looking to grow our F.C. Tucker Emge family with people who want to make a difference in the community. While it may be daunting to think about entering into the world of real estate, it is quite accessible. Here are our recommendations for how to become a real estate agent:

1. Talk to an F.C. Tucker Emge agent about their real estate career. 2. Attend one of our Virtual Career Sessions (that we hold once a month at noon via Zoom) to learn more about the tools and training

F. C. Tucker Emge has to offer. 3. Sign up for an accredited real estate class and pass it. (We can help you get signed up for that.) 4. Pass the state licensing exam. 5. Sign-on with F.C. Tucker Emge REALTORS® as we offer the best training and support among real estate brokerages in the area. 6. Broadcast to all of your friends, family and associates that you are in the business. 7. Start selling!

Being a REALTOR® does require a set of life skills that will make your path in this business easier. The ability to communicate effectively and solve problems are high on the list. Common sense, adaptability and patience come in handy. If you are willing to work hard, you will find success as an F.C. Tucker Emge REALTOR®. Let’s Talk!

For more information...

visit FCTuckerEmge.com/Careers/ or call John Briscoe at 812.479.0801

F.C. TUCKER EMGE REALTORS ®