How to Live in Your Home While Selling & Not Lose Your Sanity

Living in your house while trying to sell it can be exhausting, since a home should, in theory, always look in mint condition.

Although you needn't go overboard and expect your house to look perfect, you shouldn't hide last night's dinner dishes in the oven or throw your dirty clothes in the bedroom closet. It's not that easy. An astute home buyer will open every cabinet and closet door for inspection.

Here are some hints and ideas on how to make living in your home a little easier while its on the market:

• If you as well as other members of the household work full-time, setting up a schedule is the most logical way to coordinate housecleaning. Plan cleaning activities by the day or by the week. for instance, plan a morning and an evening schedule for your family. Decide who'll cook breakfast, do the dishes, and make the beds. In the evening, while one family member is making dinner, another can tidy up the rest of the house.
• Are there parts of the house that are used Infrequently? Close off those areas when you're not showing the house, and you'll decrease your cleaning time.
• Hire some cleaning help once a month or every two weeks. If you can't afford to pay someone for a full day's work, instruct the person to clean only the kitchen and the bathrooms-the rooms most likely to get the messiest the quickest. And to save yourself from more cleaning and maintenance responsibilities, hire someone to wash windows or to mow the lawn.
• If you think you lack the creativity to beautify your home, hire an interior designer. A professional's touch might result in a quicker sale.
• If bathroom counters aren't too bad, just wipe them with a damp sponge. Keep toilet seat covers down. Instead of washing bathroom rugs, vacuum or shake them out. You may want to invest in a small, rechargeable hand vacuum.
• Pack all personal belongings that take up space and are not being used daily. The inside of your house will appear larger with the added space in cabinets and closets. Besides packing china and good silverware for safekeeping, put away extra dinnerware, glasses utensils, pots, pans, and so on. And by keeping fewer dishes in the cabinet, you'll prevent the sink from becoming stacked with dishes.
• Plants in the house add eye appeal, but too many of them may not be worth the trouble it takes to water and dust them and pick up leaves. Remove a few plants if your home looks like a greenhouse.
• Put inexpensive throw rugs in the front hallway. If people track in dirt, the rugs will catch the footprints and scuff marks, then wash when soiled.
• If you have extra comforters stored in the linen closet, you may want to use them instead of bedspreads. Throwing a comforter over a bed is quicker than fitting a bedspread.
• If you don't have time for mopping, sweep floors.
• Keep on hand cleaning necessities as scouring powder, vinegar, glass cleaner, furniture polish , dust cloths (some are pretreated with wax for quicker dusting), rags, and room deodorizer.
• Treat yourself to a weekend at a hotel. The relaxation win ease your mind, and, best of all, you won't have to worry about vacuuming, dusting, scrubbing, or organizing.

(Reprinted with permission of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®)