You may be excited to move into your new home, but prepping a home for sale can be tough on busy folks who have a lot on their plates.

Not only is there a lot of cleaning and organizing to be done, but you also have to worry about maintaining it all long enough to make a sale. That’s not always an easy feat. Preparing to move into your new home can be stressful enough without having to also worry about getting your home in shape to put it on the market, which is why it’s so important to take a few simple steps to stay organized.

Staging a home is just as important as cleaning when it comes to getting the highest amount possible from your buyer. Removing items that are too personal can go a long way when it comes to making a quick sale, as this will help to keep the home neutral the way a model home would be. This helps potential buyers envision themselves living there more easily.

Here are the best ways to prepare your home for a sale:

Research the Housing Market

One of the first steps in getting your home ready to sell is knowing what the average sale prices are in your area. You’ll not only get an idea of how much your home will sell for, you’ll also get insight on what the competition is like in the housing market, and what buyers are looking for. Boise homes have sold for an average of $350,000 over the past month.

Deep Clean

Deep cleaning can mean many things, but in addition to the most popular tasks — such as cleaning the carpets — it should include making sure cabinets and drawers are organized or completely empty. Chances are that buyers will look inside anything that stays with the house — including closets, crawlspaces, basements, and attics — so the more you can clean these areas and get them organized and smelling nice, the better. It may be worth it to hire a professional housekeeper for your initial deep clean so all you have to do is spot cleaning and maintenance tasks afterward.

Hire a Home Staging Pro

There are many ways you can stage a home for sale, including removing personal items like family photos or using natural light to enhance the space, but the DIY methods sometimes only go so far. To truly get the best sale price, you might have to spend a little money first, and that’s where a stager comes in. A professional can take one look at a room and see exactly what to highlight and how to do it, and when you’re a busy parent, this fast turnaround is a huge benefit. Keep in mind that the average cost to hire a home stager starts at about $1,000.

Organize It

Getting organized is a crucial part of prepping a home for sale. Not only does it help you keep each room clutter-free, but it will also allow you to maintain cleanliness while your home is on the market. This can be difficult if you still have kids at home, especially during busy weeks when everyone is rushing off to school or extra-curricular activities. But if you give yourself a way to keep things neat and get into the habit of keeping them that way, you’ll be set when the realtor calls to set up a last-minute visit with a potential buyer. Look for ways to keep the kitchen counter neat and open, and give the kids their own space to keep toys, backpacks, shoes, and coats. It’s also a good idea to keep an easy-to-access vacuum in your home, so you can tackle those last-minute cleanings before a showing. Stick vacuums are often perfect for this purpose because they’re light and simple to maneuver.

Keep Things Sparse

The more belongings you have in your home, the harder it will be to keep it clean and decluttered. Remove a piece of furniture from each room — which will also make the space look bigger — and pack up large collections of DVDs and books to put into storage or in the crawlspace. While a few items of decor or touches like candles and pillows (you can find affordable throw pillows for less than $15 at retailers like Walmart) can help your place look homey, too much will only overwhelm a potential buyer.

Preparing your home for sale is a big job, but it doesn’t have to be a super stressful one. Think about which tasks you need to tackle first, and talk to your family members about the plan so that everyone is on the same page. With a little help from everyone, you can get your home into shape and make a quick (and profitable) sale so you can move into that new home you’ve been dreaming about.

Article Courtesy of Kristin Louis