If you plan on moving you will be going through every last item that has been put away in your house for years. Whether you are downsizing and need to get rid of stuff or just realized how much extra “crap” you have lying around, a yard sale is a great way to declutter your belongings while also making a couple extra dollars. To ensure you have a successful yard sale you do need to plan a little ahead of time. Follow these tips to make sure your yard sale is a home run!

Preparing For The Yard Sale

Pick a Date: Your first step is to decide which day you want to hold your event. If you plan ahead of time you can even pick the best season to hold your yard sale. We suggest starting Saturday mornings and during the spring time. The earlier you start, the bigger the crowd you’ll get, as people are usually busier later in the day.

Gather Your Goods: Go through every room in your house and pick out things you don’t want or haven’t used in months. Be sure to even go through closets, attics, basements and garages. Even if you don’t want something, there are plenty of other people that would pay money for it. The worst case scenario is people won’t buy something.

Permits: Many towns now require that you have a permit in order to have a yard sale. If you’re not sure, then double check with the city or town hall to find out if you need one. If you try to have a yard sale without a required permit you can get shut down and fined.

Great printable signs at cul-de-sac cool

Advertising Your Yard Sale

The more people you get to your yard sale, the more you will sell. The better you advertise and people know about it, the more people that will show up.

Make & Place Yard Sale Signs: Most towns have laws prohibiting posting yard sale signs. Checking in with a clerk at your local police station will tell you what you are allowed and not allowed to do. If you are allowed to make signs then make sure they are easy to read from a passing car. Write “Yard Sale” or “Garage Sale” in large letters with your address and an arrow pointing to your house.

Online: The internet has become a critical advertising tool that all yard salers should utilize. People are using websites to look for Yard Sales in your area and you don’t want to miss out. When posting an ad online be sure to include dates, starting time and your address. If the site allows it, then also take some pictures of your hottest items to spark people’s interest. Some places online you can advertise include:

Preparing for the Sale

Cute ways to arrange displays at your yard sale (Via Good Housekeeping)

Now that you have your yard sale date picked out and people are going to stop by, it’s time to prepare for the showing.

Sort Items: In order to give your yard sale some organization and order, try placing similar items together.

Pricing Items: As a general rule of thumb, price items a quarter or third of what they would cost new. There are certainly exceptions to this rule, but at least it gives you a starting point.

Display & Ambiance: Make sure that your yard sale is easily visible from the road as catching people’s attention is crucial. Another tip to catch the eye of people is to place some of your more interesting items towards the end of the driveway. You can lure previously uninterested people if the see a handful of things that would make it worthwhile.

There is surely more that goes into a yard sale but hitting these main points will get your Yard Sale off to a great start.

After the Yard Sale

After your sale there will surely be things left behind. If you can’t give items away to friends and family hold off on throwing everything out.

Check out our blog posts on charities that will pick up furniture donations in Washington D.C. and Boston. You can also check out this furniture disposal directory from Wayfair.

You can also try listing & selling your leftover items on these websites and apps:

Done decluttering and ready to get moving? Contact us for a free moving estimate from Boston, Washington DC, and Philadelphia.

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