Declutter. Be brutal. You’re moving anyway. Do you really want to lug those old magazines stacked in the basement? What about the clothes you’ve outgrown and the linens that are worn? That pile of boxes you’ve saved in case you need to ship something? Purge everything you don’t want to take with you. Have a garage sale, donate it, recycle, take large items to the dump.
The second part of decluttering is to remove as many unnecessary belongings–including furniture, small appliances, and stored items–as possible. You’ll have to do it later anyway, right? Box those out-of-season clothes, the extra set of dishes, some of the bric-a-brac from walls and shelves. Continue to be ruthless here. Pack all the toys you can get away with. My daughter sacrifices her stuffed animal collection, minus several favorites–three boxes’ worth–to our decluttering efforts.
Speaking of collections, an important point to consider is de-personalizing your home. You don’t need to aim for sterile, but do minimize photos, collections, and memorabilia.
Rent a storage unit and fill it. This small investment has a big impact. Rooms, closets, and storage spaces will seem larger. Buyers can imagine themselves in the house better without your “life” present around them or clutter to distract them. It’s much easier to keep the house clean.
Clean. My service people have completed their work, the clutter is in storage, and the carpet cleaner is due. It’s time to clean. I tackle the biggest chores first–painting, turning our homework room back into a dining room, power washing the siding and wood deck, major landscaping chores.
When the big items are crossed off the list, we tend to the small repairs and maintenance–all those things we’ve put off or lived with for months. The broken gate latch, the loose toilet seat, the squeaky garage door. We caulk, replace filters, polish the woodwork. We also check light bulbs, making sure they work and are the highest allowable wattage.
