1. Start early!! Pull out your calendar and look at how much time you have. You can get started on this clean-out process weeks, or even months, before you put your house on the market. And if you happen to change your mind along the way and decide to stay, no worries! Then you will just have a newly organized space to call home.
2. Divide your house into zones. And I don’t mean rooms, I mean zones. A lot of little, manageable zones. Top drawer in dresser, left bathroom drawer, top shelf in pantry. Keep a master list to make sure you get through all the spaces.
3. Be pretty ruthless. This is the perfect opportunity to get rid of things you don’t need, want, or see yourself enjoying in a new house. There is nothing more frustrating than opening a box of miscellaneous this and that in your new house and having no idea where to possibly put the items, or knowing why you kept the things in the first place.
4. Ask for help if you need it. If you feel overwhelmed, or if you simply don’t have the time to tackle the tasks on your own don’t be afraid to ask for help. Family and friends are often more than happy to lend a hand, and there are also people like me out there who love this type of challenge!