The way we live in a house is not the way we can sell it - DE CLUTTER!!!

Not everyone lives in the perfect Martha Stewart house.  Things, kids, pets, projects - they all can get in the way.  Does anyone "clean up" for the cleaning woman like I do?  I admit it - the night and morning before I frantically straighten up so she can find her way to the dirt, and not spend her precious 5 hours straightening.  Well, guess what!  Preparing to put your house on the market can be much worse!  The way we LIVE in a house, is not the way it should look when we want to SELL the house.   Think Martha Stewart, or model home:  Do you ever walk into a house and think no one can possibly live here, and then you are blown away when you see a big dog dish, or a childs room with toys neatly put away?  Some people are just inherently neat and clean but this is maybe 5% of the population.  So back to preparing the house for sale because you want to sell quickly and for the best price, and don't want hundreds of people traipsing trough at weird hours of the day and night.  So what to do?  Ask your neatest friend to come help - offer them something in return!  Go get boxes from a local store or http://www.affordableboxes.com/ and lots of newspaper or tissue paper.  Get those huge garbage bags - 1 color for trash, and one color for the local goodwill store.  Pack away all photos and knick-knacks.  Your tables should have 1 or 2 items at most.  Check out your plants - do they look as good as the day you bought them? If not, get rid of them, unless a major clipping works.  Artificial plants and flowers often look the best because they don't shed or get straggly.  I have a magic red tulip arrangement that looks real, and it really helps sell the house.  Did you know how red tulips can brighten up a room in a photograph?  As for the kitchen, you must put away just about everything - if you have a new cool looking toaster, ok to keep it out, but forget the dingy coffeepot and plastic tablecloth!  If in doubt, take a quick digital photograph of the kitchen and what shows up?  Refrigerator magnets are a disaster in a photo.  Don't forget about a virtual tour - we take one of every listing and it shows the whole room.  Let's talk about your home office - what I see out there is scary, piles of papers and bills and yellow sticky notes.  The desk must look like no one uses it so put the piles of papers either in the drawers or garbage.   Play a game with your kids to pick out their favorite few toys, and they will not miss the hundreds of other ones.  I think you are best off piling boxes neatly in an attic, basement or garage; better yet, you have a friend or parent with extra room to pile your stuff.  Just think how much easier moving day will be!  If you need a list of places that love donations, just email me at Carolyn@cloud9homes.com or call (914) 437-6106.