The yard was overgrown and the rooms had not been painted in years.
“A real estate agent had called me and said they wanted to put this house on the market,” said Broderick, who is a professional organizer, planner and stager. “This was one of the biggest projects I had to tackle.”
Broderick, who admits she has been an “organizer” since childhood, said when she walks into a room she can see its potential.
“I do not see it as a challenge,” said Broderick. “I walk into a space and immediately see what has to be done.”
She said after she made a move to the area over 13 years ago and found herself at home as a full time mom, she decided to take what she naturally loves to do and turn it into a business she could work around her children’s schedules.
“Organizing is in my blood,” said Broderick. “I looked at myself to see what I love and I’ve been doing this all my life for my family friends, so I decided it was the thing to do.”
Broderick said most people are overwhelmed when they go to reclaim a room or a space that has become clutter and crowded.
“They want to try and conquer it all at once,” said Broderick, who says she tries to educate the client, if they want, to teach them the skills and tips to keeping their spaces uncluttered.
“I work with the client so they learn how to continue it throughout their life,” said Broderick. “Once they learn the skills they can continue to use them throughout their lifetimes.”
Others, she says, just want her to come in and clean it.
“Some clients just want me to come in and simplify their living spaces,” said Broderick, adding that most people tend to be uncomfortable that they let their living spaces get so out of control.
“I work in a confidential manner because some people are so overwhelmed and embarrassed,” said Broderick. “If they are willing, I try to educate them.”
She said that each project is different and requires a distinctive approach.
“Each home, each office is different and personality comes into play,” said Broderick, adding that once she decides on a game plan, she has to slow down in her rush to want to tackle the project. “The client needs to see what I have in mind and how I can help and benefit them.”
She said her services have been used to stage a home for a sale, organize an office or a living space or prepare a home for an event or party. She added that she has even readied homes for the track season.
“When someone is getting ready to rent their home for the summer track season, it can seem overwhelming on what to put away, what to take with them and what to leave,” said Broderick, adding that she comes back after the season to help put everything back in place. “If you plan to do it, putting a system in place helps it to become less cumbersome.”
Continuing, Broderick said she always takes her client’s own personality and needs into account when working for them.
“Someone like a hoarder takes much more time,” said Broderick. “It is emotionally and psychologically difficult for them to part with something they have developed an attachment to.”
As for the elderly woman with the “very lived in home,” Broderick said she talked with her at first, guiding her to see if the item really was needed.
“With the elderly there is a bit of separation anxiety,” said Broderick. “It is about finding a comfort level and to slowly lead them into the decision to separate from [the item.] When they find that the stuff is not going into the dump but to someone else, it gives them that release where they can let it go.”
That home, said real estate agent Joan Taub of Prudential Manor Homes, “was very lived in” and required more than just organizing. It needed shrubs trimmed, rooms and cabinets painted and a total clean out.
“The woman liked to collect items – there was an insurmountable amount of stuff in her home,” said Taub. “Manuela did a wonderful job. I wish more people would take my recommendation to use her.”
For more information on Manuela, please visit her website at www.theprofessionalorganizerplannerandstager.com or call (518) 569-2391
