Getting Your Home Ready to Sell: DIY Tips and When to Call a Professional Organizer!

Getting your home ready to sell is no quick or easy task... Especially while juggling children and other responsibilities of running a household.

Even as a professional organizer, getting my own home ready to sell in the Golden Isles was a challenge. I thought it would be easy since I typically keep my home decluttered and organized, but I quickly realized that living in a home and preparing it for potential buyers are two completely different things.

The systems created for everyday use ended up being different than the systems needed to hide messes for a showing: keeping closets half-empty to make storage look more spacious, and finding ways to make the process easier on my family were key.

Going through this firsthand gave me an even deeper appreciation for what my clients go through, especially busy moms juggling everything at once. That’s why I’m sharing the strategies that worked for me—so you can tackle this process with less stress, whether you’re doing it on your own or calling in a professional organizer to help.

Start with a Strategy:

• Walk through your home as if you were a buyer and make a list of things that need to be fixed, decluttered, and organized to get your home market-ready.

  
  

• Work with a real estate pro to help you prioritize key areas, especially if you’re in a time crunch to list your home. My realtor, Priscilla Thompson, was invaluable in this process. She helped us see our home through a buyer’s eyes, pinpointing the spaces that would make the biggest impact. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by an endless to-do list, she guided us in focusing on what truly mattered—like creating a welcoming entryway, decluttering high-traffic areas, and ensuring storage spaces looked spacious and functional. Her insight saved us time and energy, allowing us to make strategic updates that helped our home stand out.

If you’re in need of a knowledgeable and supportive real estate advisor in the Golden Isles, I highly recommend reaching out to Priscilla Thompson. You can contact her at 912-286-1708 or priscillat@hcrega.com.

DIY Tips to Get Your Home Show-Ready

Here are simple steps that made a big difference for me and can help you too:

• Pre-Pack Non-Essentials: Treat decluttering as the first stage of moving. Pack away seasonal decor, extra kitchen gadgets, out-of-season clothing, and anything you won’t need in the next few months. This lightens up your space and makes it easier when moving day comes.

• Follow the 50% Rule: Aim to reduce visible items in closets, cabinets, and on shelves by at least half. Buyers want to see storage potential—not how much stuff you can fit!

• Set Up a Donation Zone: Have bins or boxes ready for items you want to donate. This keeps the process moving and helps prevent last-minute panic purges.

• Create a Quick Reset Routine: Develop a checklist of 10-minute tasks that help your home look show-ready fast: wipe down counters, fluff pillows, corral toys, empty the trash, and do a quick sweep of high-traffic areas.

• Contain Daily Clutter: Use baskets, bins, or drawers to stash everyday items like mail, chargers, or toys so they’re easy to put away before showings.

When to Call a Professional Organizer:

Even with the best DIY intentions, selling a home while managing daily life—especially with kids—can feel overwhelming. A professional organizer can help by:

✅ Offering objective guidance to help you make faster decisions about what stays and what goes.

✅ Setting up systems so you can quickly reset your home between showings.

✅ Styling storage spaces (closets, pantries, cabinets) to look spacious and functional.

✅ Helping you pack strategically so moving day is easier.

✅ Saving you time by breaking down the process into manageable steps.

Final Thoughts

Preparing your home for the market doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With a thoughtful plan, a few simple systems, and the right support, you can create a space that appeals to buyers—and makes your own move smoother too.

If you’d like help getting your home market-ready, I’m here to support you. Whether you want DIY guidance or hands-on organizing help, let’s chat about how to make this process as stress-free as possible. Click the link below to learn more about Southern Sort's Move Management services on St. Simons, Jekyll, Sea Island, Brunswick, and the surrounding areas!

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Hey! I'm Tiffany - a passionate, decluttering expert serving the Golden Isles. As a mom of 4, I quickly learned how clutter creates so much stress in our lives and impacts our home in a negative way. And learned that having systems in place can help create a more stable home for our families.

That's why I am on a mission to help busy women in Brunswick, St. Simons, Jekyll, and the surrounding areas declutter and create systems that help their homes function with ease.

If you are interested in learning more about my organizing services, click the link below.

Work with Southern Sort