Be as prepared as you can the night before your sale. If the sale is  in your garage, try to have everything set up before you go to bed with  specific items ready to be carried out onto your driveway in the  morning. If the sale will be in the yard, have the items and display  tables ready to be carried out and a plan in mind for organizing  everything quickly.

You can post a start time of 9am, but don’t be surprised if you have  cars at your driveway at 7am! Every garage sale I’ve ever had, folks  show up well before starting time.

Collect money in advance. If larger items need to be picked up later, be sure to get 100 percent of the payment at the time of sale and set a specific deadline time for the pick-up.

At the end of your last sale day, don’t expect everything to be gone.  It just won’t happen. If you really just want to get rid of the stuff,  you can start slashing prices a couple of hours before the end of the  sale. But regardless, make a deal with yourself before the sale begins,  you will not to carry anything back into your house. Immediately pack it  up and make a trip to your favorite charity.  Or arrange a charity  pick-up like I did one year during our neighborhood sale. I arranged for  my favorite women’s charity to come with their truck to our  neighborhood the day after the sale. Neighbors put a sign on their  mailbox if they had items for the charity to take. It was a win-win for  everyone.

Here are a couple of more things to consider:

• Lock the doors to your house. When you get busy or distracted with customers, you don’t want someone to walk into your house.
• Clearly mark or remove any obstacles that may in anyway be   considered dangerous. Unfortunately, if someone is hurt on your   property, you may be held liable.
• Confine pets to the house or other secure area. This reduces the concern for distractions, animal attacks or allergic reactions.

Hopefully this series on garage sales helped you release some of your unwanted  treasures to others who will put them to good use and you made some  money in the process.

CONSIDER ‘STAGING’ YOUR HOME

Staging is one of the services that is requested often. In fact, much of the staging process involved in decluttering a space, for which a Professional Organizer is well qualified to provide this service.

This process of neutralizing, decluttering, organizing, and beautifying allows potential buyers to picture themselves living in the house by tapping into their emotions. Staging also starts the “letting go” process for the seller, as they transform their beloved home to a more neutral-looking home. Staging will help you sell your home quickly, at best possible price.

PLAN YOUR MOVE DATE AT LEAST FOUR TO SIX WEEKS AHEAD

The most popular times for moves include May through September and the very beginning and end of each month. So if you’re hiring a moving company, keep these peak times in mind, and contact them soon. Call family and friends for trusted mover recommendations, or contact Angie’s List.

GATHER YOUR SUPPLIES

Create a moving supplies kit that you can move from space to space throughout the packing process. Include lots of tape, packing supplies, bold markers, box cutter, colored stickers for labeling boxes, and inventory list, trash bags, sorting labels like “PACK”, “CHARITY”, “FOR OTHERS”, etc.

START PACKING SELDOM-USED ITEMS NOW

Ask your grocery store to set aside cardboard boxes for you. Pack heavier items in smaller boxes and lighter items in larger boxes.

ORGANIZE and INVENTORY YOUR BOXES

Here’s a great Franklin Covey Moving Kit by Buttoned Up to help you get organized. I have used this planner with clients and it is very helpful for keeping all the details organized and in one place.

Number each box and label which room it belongs in. Keep a separate list indicating the box number and its contents. When you get to your destination, unpack everything as soon as possible.

COMPLETE CHANGE-OF-ADDRESS FORMS

And be sure to update important documents which include address and phone number (driver’s license, checks, etc.) Bring your current phone books to your new home in case you need to contact people in your old town. This can now be done on-line through the USPS.

MOVE VALUABLES YOURSELF

Irreplaceable family photos, heirlooms, and financial and legal documents should be packed and transported by you instead of your moving company.

Originally posted 2010-05-11 14:04:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

No worries … the end of summer is still a great time for a garage sale. Over the next week I’ll be posting the steps that I recommend for planning and organizing a successful garage sale.

The steps I’ll be discussing are:

• Step 1: Determine the cost benefit of having a garage sale
• Step 2: Pre-sale planning
• Step 3: Attracting buyers
• Step 4: Preparing the goods
• Step 5: Money issues
• Step 6: The day of the sale
• Step 7: What to do with the leftovers

First in the series,(covered in this post) are conducting a cost benefit analysis of even having a garage sale and Pre-planning.

Step 1: Determine Cost/Benefit of Having a Garage Sale

In other words, when you consider the stuff you have to sell and the value of your time, is it worth it to spend your time on this activity vs. other ways to spend your time. Let’s delve into this more.

OK … your house is overflowing with “stuff.” Its good stuff and it meant so much at one time. But it just doesn’t meet your current needs. Still, it’s too good to throw away – and it would be nice to receive some financial benefit. A garage or yard sale MAY be the perfect solution, but it may not.

Before you decide, remember there will be a significant time commitment to this effort: gathering items, cleaning up items that are dusty and dirty, grouping and organizing – and then the 20 hours of personal time you will spend waiting on your customers during a two-day sale. In addition, you may need to clean up the garage or yard to make it workable site for the sale. (But what a great excuse to clean out the garage – you’re killing 2 birds with 1 stone here – getting rid of unwanted stuff and cleaning out the garage at the same time!)

What is the cost of your time versus the financial gain? One way to find out is to do some research on eBay or Craig’s List to see what similar items are currently selling for. Then consider the fact that garage sale items typically sell for less than on eBay.

If you have a few items you believe have significant value, you may want to consider selling them through a newspaper ad or an internet service like Craig’s List or eBay instead of a garage sale or consignment.

If you truly believe you can reap a financial benefit to compensate for your time and effort, then full speed ahead. If you can join in on a neighborhood or community sale, you may reduce your time commitment for site preparation, and you are not burdened with finding enough items to justify your own sale.

Before you put out your goods for a garage sale, make sure you take the steps necessary to make it successful.

Step 2: Pre-sale Planning

• Check zoning laws and neighborhood covenants. Some governing boards may have good reasons for not allowing a consumer sale in your neighborhood.
• Pick a date that works for the population you are trying to attract. Joining in on a date chosen by the neighborhood for residents to have their own sales is preferred. Usually, the more sales there are in a general area, the more people it will draw. Likewise, the neighborhood association may pay to promote the event, reducing your out-of-pocket costs.
• Begin going through your home and pulling items that you have deemed to be no  longer useful, loved or outdated. Be ruthless, this is your chance to clean out and make some money for your efforts. For strategies on how to tackle this, check out this post – 5 Boxes, a Bag and a List. There is also a list of more related posts at the end of this one.
• Prepare your garage or yard carefully. If you have it in the garage, isolate or cover the items not for sale. Any valuable items should be kept out of sight or moved into the house, if possible.

Next up is how to attract buyers, how to prepare your stuff for the best presentation and pricing …

How about you? Is your garage, basement, attic full of stuff you’ve already relegated to those spaces, but you hold onto it for some reason? I found some great tips for what to do with garage sale leftovers on About.com by Housekeeping expert Sarah Aquirre.

Originally posted 2009-07-10 09:21:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

1. MAKE A PLAN

Moving requires a great deal of organization details and logistical coordination to happen smoothly. Establish a move binder to hold all checklists, a journal to record details of phone calls, deadlines, measurements, decisions to make, and much much more.  We just moved during the holidays and I found a great move organizer called the Moving.Kit by Buttoned Up.  This was my ‘go-to’ place for all details regarding the move. The Moving.Kit includes six sections to help you to move smoothly through the move process and lots of checklist for tracking your progress, like change of address forms, delegation lists, stickers for important boxes, a move time-line and more.

 2. START SORTING NOW

Sorting through possessions can be overwhelming, but is a necessity to accomplish a downsizing move. Pick one area to start with: the bedroom closet; the kitchen cabinets; your files. An hour or two a day is enough time to spend. The important thing is to begin.
 
3. WHAT DO I DO WITH MY STUFF?

Starting early allows you to find the right home for items that are not going with you. Now is the time to give the books to the library for their book sale; to find out whether or not your daughter wants grandma’s china; to see if the consignment shop will take the silver. There are many different ways to dispose of your items: antique dealers, consignment shops, yard sales, non-profits, etc. Each resource has its’ own guidelines. Don’t assume for example, that the local Goodwill wants your old exercise equipment (they don’t). Call and check.
 
4. MAKE A FLOOR PLAN

As soon as you know where you are going, make a floor plan. Cut out templates and arrange them on your floor plan. This will allow you to visualize where your furniture will fit and prevent you from taking too many pieces with you.
 
5. INVENTORY YOUR STAPLES

About a month before your move, take stock of paper products, canned goods and items in your freezer. Begin using up as much as possible. If you have too many items, consider donating them to the local food pantry.
 
6. NOTIFYING EVERYONE

Make a list of everyone who needs to know about your move: post office; utilities and other services; creditors and everyone you do business with, friends, relatives, on-line services, neighbors and organizations for which you belong.
 
7. DESIGNATE A “DO NOT TOUCH” SPACE

Several days ahead of time, set aside items that you will need the day of the move in a spot you have reserved. Items you might wish to include are: an overnight bag packed with a change of clothes and personal items (toiletries, medications); important papers; sheets and towels; basic tools (screw driver, hammer, flashlight); cleaning supplies (sponges, paper towels, cleanser); kitchen needs (snacks and drinks, disposable plates and cups, folding chair). Also include whatever form of payment the moving company requests. Most moving companies will not accept a personal check.
 
8. TAKE CARE OF THE MOVERS

Plan to have something cold for the crew to drink. They will appreciate it and will often take better care of you throughout the move process.

9. GET HELP IF YOU NEED IT

After helping my grandparents coordinate a downsizing move twice in a five year period, then dispursing my grandmother’s estate after her death, I felt a passion for helping the senior population through this transition. I incorporated into my Organizing services helping to coordinate downsizing moves in my local community (Indianapolis). I joined a wonderful national organization that lists its members – Senior Move Managers like me, throughout the country.  The organization is the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) and can be found on-line at: http://www.nasmm.org/.  By visiting the NASMM website, you can find a Senior Move Manager that services your area.
 
10. A DIFFICULT TIME or OPPORTUNITY for a SIMPLIFIED LIFE?

It goes without saying ~ moving is a difficult time for everyone at any age. It is hard to leave a home you have lived in for many years with all its’ memories. Moving is a transition and all transitions contain an element of loss. You are saying goodbye to part of your life. Expect to feel some grief along with your excitement and anxiety.

Originally posted 2009-02-06 12:50:14. Republished by Blog Post Promoter