Ponder: Clutter, Organization, and Real Estate

During this pandemic many have used the time to declutter. On the top of my current (but endless) list right now is to declutter the jam-packed linen closet in the upstairs hallway, the randomly filled-to-capacity hutch in the family room, and the games/toys/books cacophonous contents of the bookcase in the family room.  (Linen closet not shown, doors in lower portion of hutch remain closed.) Items do accumulate and, if you do not move frequently, they have a budding opportunity to pile up. 

In light of the upcoming inauguration, I remember watching a TV show about the White House where it was shown how, during the few hours of the inaugural ceremony, staff and movers are pre-organized to move out the previous president and his family and move in the next president and his family. The transfer of families happens in the span of twelve hours on Inauguration Day. No way could I move our clutter in that amount of time! We have been in this pandemic for close to twelve months and our decluttering is far, far from complete. I found this Elle Decor article with interesting facts about the White House move. Following is a summary of its points but check out the link for details. The funeral referenced in item 7...?  The president's own. 

1. Move-in can't start until noon on Inauguration Day
2. There are only 12 hours to move in, clean, and spruce
3. The First Family is responsible for getting everything to the White House
4. Meanwhile, the President spends all Day at the Inauguration
5. There's a lot of flexibility when it comes to decorating the Oval Office
6. Move-in doesn't just involve private spaces
7. One first order of business? Planning a funeral
8. The President-elect has the chance to choose a new chef
9. The new President will receive a new limo
10. The President's photo gallery is updated

Then I began to wonder. "Just how big is the White House and how much is it worth? " The White House is indeed listed on Zillow, all 16 bedrooms, 35 baths, and 55,000 square feet of it; but it is presently off the market. Rent would be $1.6 M per month – $1K per bedroom per month. But with over two bathrooms per bedroom, is $1K that unreasonable?

Just imagine how much you could accumulate in there in four years! Yikes!