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When faced with a move, people often begin to re-evaluate their belongings. Should you declutter before you go? Perhaps this fresh start in a new home deserves a fresh start with new belongings too. Maybe the hassle of moving across the country with truckloads of items just doesn’t seem appealing or cost effective. It is likely your current belongings won’t fit in your new space anyways. Plus, if you are selling, a staged home tends to sell for more than it’s un-staged counterpart. Yes, you should declutter before you go.
If you have found yourself here, it is time to start decluttering and deciding which items you can part with and which you can’t live without. But how do you get rid of it all? Follow along below for key insights into making a successful yard sell and offer some of my favorite places to donate in Skagit and Snohomish Counties.
Host a Yard Sale
Hosting a yard sale is an excellent way to give a second life to your unwanted items, lighten your moving load, make room for new possessions, and potentially generate a little extra cash for the move. Here are some tips to ensure your yard sale is a success.
Separate Sell Items from Keep Items
Apart from keepsakes and heirlooms, a good rule of thumb is if you haven’t used something in over a year it is probably something you can live without and can contribute to the get rid of pile. Another approach is if an item no longer brings you joy or an inkling of excitement then it is likely past its life with you but could bring joy to someone else. Add it to the get rid of pile! Be sure to separate the items you are parting with from the items you are keeping. If you wish to be extra organize sort piles by price ranges. Try color coding your items with stickers to demonstrate your selling price.
Price Flexibility
Keep in mind that people like to negotiate the price. Determine now what items you are willing to negotiate on and which items you don’t feel there is room to budge. Price accordingly. Remember yard sales are not meant to get rich from, but instead helping to reduce your moving load and offer extended life to your unneeded items to keep them out of the waste plants.
Generate Neighborhood Excitement
Plan your yard sale in advance. It is likely you have friends and neighbors that have stuff they would like to part with too. Make it a neighborhood event so that multiple yard sales happen on the same day and same time. Together you can pitch in for signage that can be posted around town directing traffic to your neighborhood yard sale. This will attract more buyers and reduce your overhead costs. At the end of the sale, celebrate your success with a neighborhood gathering like a BBQ dinner or potluck.
Promote Your Neighborhood Yard Sale on Social Media
Boost the visibility of your yard sale by leveraging social media and neighborhood apps. Start by creating a Facebook event page and inviting all your friends. Share the event on Twitter with a fun hashtag and offer a prize for those who repost about your sale. Post a carousel of the items for sale on Instagram to attract more attention. Additionally, use Nextdoor or another neighborhood app to reach people beyond your immediate area. No matter what knick-knacks you uncover, expanding your audience will help ensure they find the right home. You might also wish to list your items on Facebook Marketplace or your local Buy Nothing groups. Check in your local area for local consignment shops that will sell your items for you and you receive a portion of the sale price in return.
Payment Options
Keep in mind that most people don’t carry cash anymore. It pays to have a variety of payment options so that negotiators can’t finagle your price due to lack of cash on hand. Try offering PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, or another form of digital payment. You will likely discover more sales and turn passer-buyers into buyers.
Donate your leftovers
The final step to declutter before you go is immediately after your sale, bag up the leftovers and take them to your local donation center. Otherwise, they will find their way right back into your house, garage, or storage and you will end up paying to transport them to your new home. Here is a list of several donation centers in Skagit and Snohomish Counties.
