Hoarding and the Story of the Collyer Brothers
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
By Bill Primavera
Only now can I tell this story about a dear, dear friend, a woman in the culinary field whom I had met years ago when I worked as marketing director for the Culinary Institute of America.
She has since passed away, but I remember her with great love and respect as a top professional in her field.
Sadly, she was also a hoarder.
A hoarder is defined as one who has a mental health condition which involves ongoing difficulty parting with possessions, leading to severe clutter and a risk to safety.
My friend exhibited no outward signs of any mental health condition. So I was unaware of her problem – until I visited her home when, after I had become a realtor, she asked me to represent her for its sale.
The experience was reminiscent of the story I had heard about the Collyer Brothers. For those of you who may never have heard of it, this was an historic case dating back to 1947. It involved the deaths of two eccentric brothers who lost their lives as the result of hoarding in their mansion at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 128th Street in Manhattan where they had been squirreled away in seclusion for decades.
The obsessive duo had collected and hoarded books, furniture, musical instruments and myriad other items, with booby traps set up in corridors and doorways to ensnare intruders. Ultimately, those booby traps contributed to their own demise. When their home was emptied out after their deaths, more than 140 tons of collected items were removed, as unbelievable as that may sound.
It has been many years since I encountered a genuine case of hoarding, but early in my real estate career, I came upon what in all likelihood is one of the most severe cases of the condition on record in Westchester County.
It was truly bizarre, where the collected junk extended beyond the house into the front and back yards, which had been encircled with chain-link fencing. There was just a very narrow path through the front yard leading to the front door and, once the door was pushed open, a visitor could only stand and look beyond the accumulated piles of junk into the rooms. There was also a collection of cats and dogs in the house, which were not properly tended to, so the smell was almost unbearable.
To my amazement, the house which was priced well below market value, sold quickly and some brave soul, a contractor and obviously a miracle worker, tackled the job and turned the disaster into a winning starter home that was clean as a whistle. It was put on the market for rental, and I knew the family that lived there quite happily as its first residents after the work was completed.
It may seem an extreme statement to say that lives can be lost through hoarding, but indeed it happened some time ago in my hometown. A fire broke out in a home where firemen could not access a bedroom because the hallway was blocked with hoarded belongings, and the homeowner perished.
According to psychologists, hoarders can’t let go of things, but those who clutter can let go if they set up a routine. First, start with a small success, adjusting the big (cluttered) picture downward to focus in on one small solvable problem like clearing a single drawer or de-cluttering a shelf that has been a source of irritation. One small success can bring motivation for the long haul.
Interestingly, experts relate clutter tolerance to a fever cycle, much like the flu. Sometimes the cluttered household will become intolerable, prompting a short-lived but fiery anti-clutter effort, only to be met with a returning tide, flowing back in because of furious attempts to get a grip on the problem in a hurry.
One expert on the subject once advised me that, just as clutter arises gradually, over time, it must be fought gradually and over time. It requires building new habits, applying new organizational methods and creating new household routines. The clutter cure takes time and can’t be shortened.
“It’s like the fable of the tortoise and the hare,” said the expert. “Slow and steady wins the declutter race.”
I am glad that I can pass on this information about support for those who may have a problem with this issue. I remember many years ago when I first addressed this situation in my column, I received an anonymous call from a woman who sounded desperate, saying she was aware that she needed help in this area. At the time, there was scant information I could give her for consultation in this region.
But today, for those who may be having issues with clutter or hoarding, help can be found by calling 1-800-HOARDERS (800-462-7337).
Bill Primavera is a realtor associated with William Raveis Real Estate and founder of Primavera Public Relations, Inc., specializing in lifestyles, real estate and development. To engage the services of The Home Guru and his team to market your home for sale, call 914-522-2076.
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