For those of you who don’t know me, I have 4 kids ages 4, 5, 9, and 11 and managing to keep a house clean is always a struggle.  It becomes especially stressful when selling your house and making sure everything is looking its best.  Here are some tips on making this mission impossible actually possible!

• Invest in a 2-4 clear bins.  I’m talking about those bigger tubs with the lids.  The idea here is that you fill each bin with toys that your kids more often play with.  Each day, you let them get just one clear bin out to play with and then you know when it comes to clean up, everything on the floor goes in the bin.  You then can rotate day to day which bin comes out so they don’t get bored with the same toys over and over.  You hopefully have cleared out those closets during the decluttering process before listing your home and have room in there to put these bins.  Stick them in the closet and your house will be toy free and ready for showings.
• Put away/pack the toys that have a thousand pieces. There is nothing worse when they pull out that one toy that has so many pieces and you’re scrambling to pick it all up before a last minute showing. Pack those away for your sanity.
• Decluttering is one of the most important (and I might add rewarding) things to do when it comes to getting your house ready and it’s important for kid’s toys and room items. You probably could get rid of more toys than you think when you start the decluttering process to sell.
• If you haven’t broken out a reward system yet with your kids for doing chores, now might be the best time. No shame in providing a little motivation for kids to clean up after themselves.
• Set boundaries for you showings. There is flexibility surrounding showings. You don’t have to have your home available to show 24/7. Obviously you want make your home available the most you can to get as many people through your house but it’s perfectly fine to say you need at least 2-3 hours notice before showings or no showings after 7pm. Let your agent know what will work best for your family.

Hopefully some of these tips helps keep some sanity for parents out there!