Thinking of moving... the battle vs the clutter begins

Burn it down and collect the insurance. :)

Rent storage! Clean out everything and put into storage. It'll make the house look neater and most of your stuff will be put away for the move.

I just sold a house a couple of weeks ago. Be a pain in the ass to your realtor. Call for updates, ask why it hasn't sold, etc. Your realtor will hate you, but will also do anything to get rid of your house. Also, declutter more than you think you need to and clean every day. Be as anal as you possibly can. A buyer doesn't care how many kids you have or how old they are. All they see is a mess and they expect every house to look like a model home.

about 3 years ago me and my wife sold our first home to trade up to bigger and better. I was watching all those hgtv shows on how to do it, but my wife refused to listen to me. she refused to take down pictures or put away knick knacks, she said it wouldnt look lived in, and that she shouldnt have to change anything... needless to say, like 9 or 10 months went by with little to no intrest, and I finally went to walmart spent like 100 bucks on tubs, packed her thousands of boyds bears figureines, painted the walls, put all our shit in a pod (even the kids toys) she was so pissed, but the house sold after like 2 weeks. staging works, and just little stuff like paint and cleaning the carpets goes a long way, just be ready for there list of shit for you to fix before they sign, thats why we wnt new construction this time, screw fixing stuff... it is a low point in the market now though so good luck.

Everything here is right on the money. I've sold three houses myself for various job changes. The house needs to look as close to what it would if it were new construction and never lived in. Nothing on the walls, clean carpets, new paint, clear countertops, etc. etc. It's terribly hard to maintain if you are living in it while you're trying to sell, but it's a necessity. Good luck!

Jcat you should meet with a realtor before and after the clean up. You should also interview 2-3 different realtor to see who you think will do the best job. What everyone else has said here is spot on, plus you should research the comps yourself before you let a realtor tell you what your place is worth. There is redfin.com for us here in the states and I am sure there is something just like it for you peeps in the crazy white north.

All of the above. When you interview your Realtors, they should have staging experience and know professional staggers and contractors if need be.

Rent a POD or other storage facility and store all your clutter there. Even extra furniature. When staging a house, less is more. Put just enough pieces in each room so that buyers know what it is and get rid of everything else. Any wall hangings, pictures and nick nacks should be neutral, no pics of family or kids or your unicorn collection. orbs and vases are good, geometric style wall hangings are good. But ya if you aren't going to buy a house before yours closes, then you definitely need to rent a storage facility or have a friend/family member with an extra garage they're willing to part with for a few months in the canadian winter :lol:

Just to echo...people don't want their future home to look lived in. The key to selling it is that people need to be able to picture their own stuff in the house...that means minimalist furniture if you intend on living there, virtually no odds and ends. The ideal for me has always been to move out. Move all of your stuff into a pod, have everything scrubbed top to bottom, and you'll have the most luck. Toys/personal knick knacks/child stained furniture WILL draw interest away from the home. I found that always being ready for an immediate visit from the realtor was key also...never know if you'll miss the potential buyer who will find something else in the time it takes to clean the place up or who is impatient enough to not wait for a scheduled time.

Get it inspected yourself first so there are no surprises

I've never owned a home so I don't have too much practical advice. I can say that I looked into buying a few years back and I was a complete snob. I looked at everything. In closets, cabnits, under the bed. People buying houses are nosey so anything you don't want strangers to see/touch get rid of it. The more your place looks like a model the better. I think it's because the more your pla ce looks move in ready the less people worry about having to fix/upgrade things. They are willing to pay more because they don't think they'll have to put much into it later. Good luck with your move.

We baked cookies (the kind that come in a tube) just before they came over. The house smelled warm and inviting. We also made tri fold color pamphlets about the house with pictures and stats, house hunters can look at dozens of houses before deciding, make sure they can remember yours. The house sold to the FIRST couple to look at it. (probably a coincidence.)