I go to school full time, my dh works full time and we have 3 kids. It's next to impossible to keep the house in pristine perfect condition. As long as it's clean, is that ok? I'm not the best housekeeper in the world, but the house is clean. I can't afford a housekeeper, so that's out, but this house needs to be sold yesterday as we're moving soon.

any other tips? Thank you

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

One thing we did was rent a storage room and put everything we didn't need even furniture in it. Less furniture makes the house look bigger. Also pack away toys that are not played with then there will be less things to keep picked up. We were also told to get rid of family pictures on walls because people will spend more time looking at the pictures then at the house. Good luck selling your house quickly.

I think neat is actually better than clean. I would worry about the kitchen, that should be clean, no dishes in the sink, or things on the counter. In the bathrooms, i just threw everything under the sink and wiped the counter down with a wipe. Then whirl wind around before you leave in the am and stash everything where it won't be seen and make the beds.

All of the cleaning stinks when no one calls. We had our house for sale last year with 2 kids and it was hard, I was always waiting for that call and the mad rush.

I was babysitting one night and had 5 kids under 5 and a realtor called and wanted to bethere in 30 minutes , I had every kids straightening, it was crazy!

Good luck, and I hope your buyer finds you soon.

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"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." ~ Bernard Meltzer

I would agree with getting the clutter that keeps the house from being neat out of there. Think of it as work that needs to be done to prep for moving anyways - throw away/donate/sell stuff that you don't really need and box up and store items that you would like to have at your new place. It will have a big impact on the way the home presents itself.

Best of luck!
cj/

jaded-

I think if you get rid of any clutter, keep the bathrooms and kitchen spotless you will be OK. Do you still have a dog? (I don't remember) If so, make sure the yard is clean.

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This is the best advice by far. Make the closets look nice and big by storing away the excess. Taking out excess furniture will make the rooms look larger. If you have a garage, clean it out also. Make sure the drive and walkways are swept clean and the grass trimmed.

Plant some flowers if you don't have any out front.

We just sold our 3rd house and the market stinks right now. It took us 7 months (1st sold in 1 day, 2nd in 53) Our house is in perfet condition and was spotless for every showing. It was horrible keeping it clean with 2 kids. It went on the market right after Thanksgiving and just sold. We close next Friday.

Good luck!

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

thanks you guys. For now we'll have to use the garage as storage b/c money is tight. really tight. Cindy, the kids are picking up poop daily (they hate it, lol). we're going to go through the closets tonight and get rid of clothes we don't wear anymore and box up winter clothes. they're coming to shampoo the carpets tomorrow. The drive is clean. We have desert landscaping so no flowers, thank goodness. I am thinking of hiring a cleaning lady for one time to come in and do what I've forgotten. Here it's only $30.

I'm not really sure what to do w/ the dog. She's extremely non violent. Like will run from any confrontation and only barks at other dogs. She'd probably show a robber around if one came in the house.

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

When I was in a hurry getting ready to show a house, I would stash the dirty laundry in my car and take it with me. If only the dishes were so easy.

Rebecca

Get a few non-see-through rubbermaid bins (with a lid) .If you need to show the house on quick notice, throw everything into the bins and stash them neatly in the closets, garage, under the bed, or car. Even dirty dishes can go into a bin temporarily. Even if the rubbermaid is sitting in the corner of a room...better than "stuff" lying around. It is amazing how quickly (minutes!) you can cleanup a house with a few empty bins. I have been known to stuff dirty clothing into the washer/dryer, etc. I don't stash things into cabinets/oven/dishwasher ,since as a buyer, I check those things out when buying a house (especially cabinets since I like to see how well made they are, etc).

Good luck on selling your house

With the housing market the way it is, you may need to be a little more agressive if you are trying to sell your home quickly. This means trying to do everything possible to entice a buyer to purchase your home.

Definitely declutter and clean as much as possible. Neutralize your home. This means pack away personal pics, put away the toys and have a clean color palette. Make your home look spacious.

I realize money is tight but if you can squeeze money to purchase a small storage area, do so. Try not to cram everything in the garage, some people may see it as clutter. Others may want to visualize an area that could fit their car and belongings and seeing your there may hamper that.

Curb appeal is another aspect of making your home more appealing to buyers. I've seen your exterior home and it looks very nice. Think of maybe adding a planter with vibrant, pretty flowers by the front door. It may spruce up the outside and say 'welcome, come on in'.

I would also suggest having a garage sale to rid your home of unnessasary or unused items. The stuff that doesn't sell can be donated. This way you are less likely to carry unneeded items to your new place.

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l/ l/ l/
Dont go through life,
GROW through life

Real eyes...realize...real lies.

We have a cat and for showings we put him in the laundry room. We put a sign on the door that read, "Friendly cat inside! Open & look, but please make sure he stays locked up!"

He's very friendly, but I didn't know who did and didn't like cats and I didn't know who would have kids with them that would pester him and didn't want to be responsible if he bit or scratched someone.

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

I've been looking at a few houses recently, and on the pet front I've had houses where there are cats, and dogs. As long as they are friendly, it's been no problem. My agent has been really nice with them, and we respect the rules to make sure they don't get out, etc. I've seen houses that were a complete MESS, and seen houses that are completely set up for "showing". I didn't care either way, so long as I can get a good view of the actual room, size, and features, but then that is just me. Any room that you walk into that has as little as possible into it, or furniture that really shows how to really make a room seem spacious hsa been really appealing for me. Good luck!

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