HOARDING
Selling a Cluttered House
What is Compulsive Hoarding?
Compulsive Hoarding is a type of mental health disorder in which a person struggles with getting rid of an excessive collection of items because of a need to save them. This behavior eventually creates a cramped & hazard living space. If the town or city that the hoarder lives in finds out about the condition of their home, they may be forced to label the property as a condemned house.
Reasons for Hoarding?
When hoarding is discovered, people tend to ask, “What is the reason for hoarding”? The answer may be simple, but the response may also make no sense to others except for hoarders. For instance, people start hoarding because they have an idea that item(s) will be of some use to them in the near future. What makes no sense to most, but not to a hoarder, is that they may either attribute a sentimental or monetary value to these things. Items may represent the loss of an important person, to the possibility of getting a large lump sum of money when they finally sell or recycle the items for cash at a local recycling center.
Types of Hoarding
There are about six (6) types of hoarding that someone can struggle with:
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Animals – Having more animals than one can take care of.
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Books – Excessive collection of books as a way to hoard information.
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Trash – Garbage with no sentimental value or functional use.
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Food – Stockpile of food driven by extreme fear of needing to survive.
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Recycling – Bags of recyclables with hopes of a large cash payout.
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Collections – Obsessive collectors of a particular category of items.
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Shopaholics – Compulsive need to purchase items that, in time, pile up.
