Blog

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/285024913536?hash=item425ccf0880:g:hWwAAOSwnLpjMk9R|Price
$140.00

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/285024913127?hash=item425ccf06e7:g:kSEAAOSwYqVjFuS6|Price
$90.00

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/285023751968?hash=item425cbd4f20:g:vHIAAOSwA3xjYfAa|Price
$650.00

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/285024913536?hash=item425ccf0880:g:hWwAAOSwnLpjMk9R|Price
$140.00

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/285023751968?hash=item425cbd4f20:g:vHIAAOSwA3xjYfAa|Price
$650.00

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/285024928681?hash=item425ccf43a9:g:O9cAAOSwMCljM8K5|Price
$80.00

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/285024922297?hash=item425ccf2ab9:g:EIwAAOSwG0NjDF5X|Price
$50.00

I have yet to be asked to clear a minimalist home, I assume because there are not enough items in one to warrant assistance. Minimalism is not just hiding possessions in a cupboard and keeping all the flat surfaces clear, nor even limiting the number …

At Canard Solutions, one of our core competencies is moving clients into and out of a property and so we are experts on how to pack a truck safely. Typically, this task forms part of downsizing project that may also include facilitating auctions, sales and …

Please note: the information is this blog is correct as of the time of publication, but is subject to change at the direction of the Victorian Government. We will endeavour to update it to reflect any changes in a timely manner. Now that Melbourne lockdown …

It’s funny how an unexpectedly high valuation of an item changes our feelings towards it. It tends to be one of two polarised reactions; either it suddenly becomes far more attractive to hold onto, or to sell. The calculus of whether to keep or to …

As my late grandmother, who died 102 years young, used to posit, “don’t grow old, there’s no future in it.” A humorous observation to be sure but rather impractical. The fact remains; the aging process is inevitable and activities like moving, regardless if the move …

Canard Solutions was engaged by a couple with a complicated downsize project of their two-bedroom Gardenvale home. The client had sold their home but had not yet purchased a new property. To complicate matters, the timing of the move coincided with the auction houses’ summer …

Each of us sustain a back injury at some stage in our lives, resulting in back pain. Frequently the process of moving home, upsizing, downsizing, or clearing out a property as part of a deceased estate realisation results in back injury or strain – particularly …

Second hand chairs can be looked on as less desirable but look at these results from Leonard Joel Auctions. Some fabulous second hand chairs and great value for buyers and sellers alike. Auctions are the most transparent strategy to find the value. Less expensive second …

We are pleased to show you an interesting range of items for auction this week from our clients’ downsizing and deceased estates. This week all items are offered through Leonard Joe Auctions at The Thursday Auction, on Thursday 27th August 2020. A LALIQUE ‘CACTUS’ PATTERN …

When you hire a home mover, particularly one like Canard Solutions who deal almost exclusively in moving personal assets for our clients in the downsizing or deceased estate process, there are a number of factors to consider when it comes to move antiques. It isn’t …

Problems old and new can combine to form new solutions. Avoiding landfill and providing food in a crisis requires new thinking for a new solution. Sometimes the best innovations are when you take two existing things and combine them in a new way to make …

With the advent of social distancing and the exponential growth of remote working, there has been a boom in online sales. The headlines are often full of the rise and rise of Amazon, but it has not been the only one to ride this wave. …

I’ll own up. I never expected to have to pay for storage space. But once I downsized and after selling a business, I have business records that have to be retained. So now I am paying for space to keep boxes of paper. My plan …

While the most important days are the months before moving day, Moving Day feels the most stressful. Help with organising the broader preparation for your move is available in our Moving and Downsizing Tips Take these steps to minimise the strain on Moving Day. The …

I downsized from a 3 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom apartment with no study and no dining room, and learnt some lessons. You really cannot take as much as you think.  TIP: Count your cupboards, and the number in your new home. If there are half …

You deserve the best! Isn’t that obvious? But how do I tell that I’m getting a reliable service? There are a few mental check boxes you could tick off before the job even begins on the day. Firstly manners. We at Cannards find we get …

If you are moving into a new place with an inventory of mismatched furniture then we at Canard Solution believe this guide is for you. Firsts things first, work out what type of furniture goes where. Just like the innate bad juju of putting a …

You may have seen them hidden away, as side tables, cabinets or shelves. but while these wheeled tables that served as the loyal companions to waiters, and waitresses are being retired to various corners of countless rooms. Their monetary value has only risen. Which begs …

At Canards we have realized our biggest competitor is your very own friends and family. You should always consider what you can do yourself with the resources at your disposal. Friends and family are an unadvertised workforce that have snatched various jobs from our hands …

Throwing things out is hard, and no one knows the hardship of this task more than Canard. In our time helping clients downsize, de-clutter and storing items we’ve found a common apprehension for chucking things out. We try our best to rationalize this content culling, …

A dreaded time of year crawls towards us in the wake of Christmas. During Christmas you take a breath, in between those breaths you inhale food and while that is going your mind is blinded by dazzling lights and decadent decorations. All of this leaves …

The Canard Solutions team takes the time over the Christmas period to be merry and spend time with family and friends, that and we leave the window open just in case Santa needs to relocate to the South pole. Christmas is a time to celebrate …

While Canards enjoys the opportunity to clean up and organize the contents gathered through a lifetime, we do not wish for people to live in it. The importance of keeping your house in a respectable condition can have great results on your mental health and …

In the early weeks of November the Canards crew took on a very big job all the out in Mt Beauty. A man had passed away leaving behind a house he had re-purposed into a workshop for a variety of different hobbies. Model planes, model …

During the depression of the 1930s saw the happiest and most popular time for the humble kerosene tin. Kerosene was used to power early tractors, fridges and burned brighter than candles or oil lamps. It was the all encompassing back bone of the depression itself. …

The emotional connection with your possessions is one of the main factors that needs to be handled when dealing with a loved one’s estate, or when tackling the task of downsizing after the children have moved on. Almost inevitably, there will be a piece of …

When it comes to realising value from assets of an estate, or surplus assets from downsizing or decluttering, there is a well-worn path everyone travels when considering their available options. These usually include: “Maybe we should try a garage sale” “I’ve used eBay and Gumtree …

The way charities operate and the way we donate have changed a great deal in the last 10 years. The local Vinnies or Salvos used to be a one-stop shop for donating anything and everything that you no longer wanted. However, thanks to fast-fashion and …

A lot of us have caught the cleaning bug thanks to Netflix’s docuseries Tidying Up. The series follows tidying expert Marie Kondo as she travels around the US helping families and couples with tidying their homes. Following the show’s airing, Australia went into a cleaning …

The act of moving, whether it’s to an auction house, storage, or your new home, can end up being a huge cost and really eat into any returns you make from sales. If you’re doing it yourself, you can cut down on the distance, time, …

Whether going through a downsize or declutter, we all feel a tinge of guilt about throwing things away. We may have things with tags still on, still in unopened packages, or never used. Some times we are reminded of the huge sums of money we …

Often in life we approach a task that we think is going to be very simple. However, when we actually star doing the job at hand we realise it is not so easy after all! This is exactly what happened in a recent project we undertook. …

Anyone who is selling their goods always asks the big question: what is it worth? The simple answer is: what the market is prepared to pay. Seems obvious, right? But there are two key factors which qualify this answer: the market and the cost of …

  The decision to sell a family home is always a big one to make, both emotionally and financially. However, once that decision has been, it is best to act fast! Implementing the sale process quickly can achieve significant financial benefits for the seller. Two examples of …

Canard Solutions undertook a project in Melbourne’s South Eastern suburbs. The client’s Power of Attorney contacted us after the client moved to a retirement home. The client wished to sell her home, however, she did not have the time nor agility to arrange it herself. The …

As the baby-boomers see their children (finally) leave the nest, minds inevitably turn to the next step in life’s progression. You need to consider many triggers when the topic of downsizing arises. These include the following:   1.)        Dislike / Fear of moving One partner …

For a lucky few, moving house is an emotion-free experience. This select group usually moves often and therefore moving house is almost a habit if anything. However, the for the vast majority, moving one’s home is almost an insurmountable project. For many of us, moving is not something …

Here is an interesting article by Jenny Brown from Domain.com. She speaks about some of the issues you can run into when trying to sell antiques. We often hear similar stories from clients having to empty out their parents’ homes and are having a rough …

Dealers vs. Auctions: What is the best way to sell? This is a question we often hear. There are pros and cons with both.   Dealer A dealer is unlikely to pay more than the lower-end of what something is likely to achieve at auction. …

The owner of a large home in Armadale was facing a real challenge. She had just lost her husband, and her children lived interstate. She decided to sell the family home, but with a house full of memories, furniture, goods, and effects, she did not …

A family that had lived in the same home for 55-years contacted Canard Solutions for help. They had sold the family home and settlement was due in two weeks. They had planned to achieve an orderly downsizing but the task was overwhelming. Alas, time had run out. …

The owner of a gracious four-bedroom home in Armadale engaged Canard Solutions for a downsizing project. The owner wished to sell their family home and downsize to a townhouse. We created a two-part work programme to fulfill these wishes. In phase one, Canard Solutions created …

Nearly all of us over 55 have experienced it, either first hand or through a close friend. Whether expected or not, it is difficult to cope with the loss of a parent.  Reflecting on the life lost to us, the characteristics, the values, and the …

Ever think the world is so vast, and feel like we’re all hundreds of kilometres from each other? Sometimes I feel like that, and then something like this happens. We were engaged to manage a deceased estate in a small rural town. The old house …

We get it – packing is a pain! Sometimes just thinking about the overwhelming task of packing up every single possession you own can drive you crazy. With a little bit of planning, you can make your move a whole lot easier. It will also …

Specialist items can cause quite a conundrum when trying to value and sell. Selling online has become a great way to get a good result all from the comfort of your own home. It connects you directly to specialist collectors, ensuring you get the best price. …

Preparing to sell a home can be one of the most stressful times in someone’s life. The family home contains so many treasured memories, and it can be emotional saying goodbye. It is also an extremely daunting task, sorting through a lifetime of belongings. Having …

A cornerstone of the Canard Solutions process is our CanSolver family choice service. This is a bespoke system used to let project owners tailor a set of rules for dispersal. To put it plainly, we provides the tools for items to be chosen and fairly …

It is always worth considering how much it costs you to hold on to clutter. When you consider that real estate costs are at an all-time high, and the physical space that unused items take up, you realise that all of that extra furniture and …

You need to remember that when downsizing or dealing with a deceased estate, furniture size matters! And not in the way you would think. Instinctively, it is safe to assume that a 30-year old antique would be worth more today. Wine values with age, so …

There are a lot of costs involved with downsizing, or when dealing with a deceased estate. However, people often overlook the cost of the actual move itself. These costs can rack up very quickly! And it is not just boxes, tape, and bubble wrap, either! …

Downsizing or clearing a deceased estate presents a number of challenges. One of the biggest is where and how to sell all the goods. One of the most important but often most overlooked is choosing which auction house to use.   While it is easiest to take the …