Decluttering to sell house, how far to go?

[Justtrying]

We are trying to sell, not yet had any viewings but much do i really need to hide away?
Obviously tidy and clean, but with a One year who scatters toys as soon as you tidy up, unless we live out of boxes for the forseeable future, what is a happy medium?

We have a large family kitchen and as a keen Cook have 3 shelves of cook books, should I hide them? We also have 3 framed photos with a few ornaments on the fireplace should this be clear?

Any hints welcome.

I would cut back on personal nicknacks - just one or two on a shelf rather than a shelf full. Tidy up book cases (not just books stuffed in randomly). Keep the kitchen surfaces as clear as possible. Keep all surfaces clear (if you can) - makes a place look much tidier and bigger. (In our house all horizontal surfaces are stuff magnets :().

Clear the floors as much as possible and make sure the rooms aren't cluttered with furniture.

And if you book viewings get someone to remove your one year old for an hour or two, so that you can whip round and clear up before the viewing.

Good luck.

I would remove any personal photographs. it is meant to be bad psychology as it stakes your claim to the house.
likewise any "Emma's Room" signs or similar, for the same reason

Sitting room:
Photos - pack
Knick knacks - pack or get rid of
Wedding china/crystal displayed in china cabinet - pack
Books including your three shelves of recipe books - pack (thin out shelves to 1/3 former capacity and try to arrange books attractively)
Cds and dvds -- sort through and pack those you rarely use
Old magazines - dump
Tv and sound system cords - hide
Clean lampshades and light fixtures
Fireplace - clean, remove filler items, maybe leave a candle if fire not lit

Kitchen:
All items not being used there and then on the kitchen counter - store in cupboards or pack
Paper towel holder - dismantle and pack and find a spot for the paper towels
All junk including restaurant menus - dump
find a place to store pots and pans that is out of sight
Same goes for baking dishes
Seasonal dishes/special occasion ware - pack
Plastic containers - hide after you go through and sort into 'dump' and 'keep'
Interior of fridge - clean and keep it clean
Contents of fridge/freezer that are out of date, unrecognisable - dump
Kitchen pantry - dump and amalgamate items; your aim is to give a sense of space.
Clean pantry and deodorise
Cabinets - clean, pack excess plates, glasses, mugs; leave the bare minimum
Kitchen drawers - pack seasonal serving pieces, excess tools and whatnots
Clean drawers, insert IKEA liners, remove items not used every day and pack; leave 1/3 of items at most
Get rid of junk drawer, collection of rubber bands, bits of string
Organise each cupboard. cabinet to hold only one type of item, no higgledy piggledy stuff everywhere arrangement
Clean oven and stovettop within an inch of their lives
Kitchen bin - clean and deodorise, hide away or find a lid for it
Family calendar - put away for viewings, replace with attractive wall decoration
Pet food - out of sight
Things stuck to fridge - pack or dump
Rolling cart or freestanding storage, bookshelves - pack after finding a new home for contents or dumping
Files, school papers - hide

• Aim to remove about 2/3 of the things in your kitchen. You are selling the space, not your stuff.

Clothes:
Sort, and dump or pack 2/3.
Laundry basket - keep it hidden away in a closet
Laundry - do a load every day in its entirety; wash, dry, iron, fold, put away.

Bedrooms:
Toys and stuffed animals in children's rooms - pack (leave one or two per bed at most)
Toys/art supplies used a lot - get underbed storage or large basket; clean every day as you go along
Children's art on walls - pack or get rid of
Shoes - find somewhere to keep shoes and boots you use and pack the rest
wardrobe including freestanding wardrobe (and chests of drawers) - go through clothes and dump or pack
Put cedar blocks in closets
Hide away all necessary items like perfume, hairbriushes, etc - dump or pack the rest
Wash all bedding and febreze mattresses - dump all old pillows

• You are aiming to show off/maximise appearance of square footage and present an image of a 'restful sanctuary'.

Bathroom:
Old cleaning supplies, bottles of this and that with just a little left - dump
Cleaning supplies hidden behind toilets, etc - hide; you can leave the toilet brush as long as it looks ok. Invest in a new one if the old one is grotty.
Plunger - out of sight
Toilet surround mat and fuzzy toilet cover - dump
Bins and wastepaper baskets - empty every day and keep out of sight
Bathroom towels - pack excess, keep bare minimum, put out new ones before each viewing (if necessary keep a special set of brand new ones just for viewings)
Toiletries/makeup in bathroom -- put away everything you still need in a small box for each user of the bathroom, maybe under the basin, after you've gone through what you have and dumped what is old or not used much
Get a new shower curtain in white

• You are presenting an image of effortlessly clean/virtually unused and spacious in the bathrooms

Hall:
Clear walls
Clear floor (incl rugs, pack or dump)
Clear surfaces such as hall table
Paint, have carpet professionally cleaned, same for sitting room carpet
Clean windows and sills
Paint wood trim
Polish wood cabinets, clean laminate or painted
Clean
Clean
Clean
And deodorise
Whole house:
Textiles such as tablecloths, floor mats here and there, heavy curtains - remove textiles on horizontal surfaces and invest in light and airy style/voile curtains
Get a few attractive wicker baskets for putting stray things into in the kitchen and children's rooms

To stage:
Deep clean every room.
Have carpets professionally cleaned.
Pay special attention to bathroom, hall, reception room(s) and kitchen but the whole house should be spotless and should smell nice.
Invest in some small lamps and leave them on in bedrooms and kitchen for showings
Put one small green plant on the kitchen countertop for viewings (dump the plant and get a new one if it dies)
Put one small green plant in the bathroom if you have room - bamboo is nice

mathanxiety that is a very daunting helpful post, thank you.

mathanxiety I am seriously awed by your list. Our place will be going on the market next week and whilst we have considered quite a lot of what you say, I think our garage would explode if we had to pack that much stuff away!
We are however going to get in a cleaner to do a major sparkle job on the bathroom and hire a carpet cleaner also. And dp IS going to finish all the DIY on time. And the baby won't decide to make an appearance as soon as the house is ready (I'm 38 weeks today). And ds will keep his toys tidy (actually thinning them out should help).

Go visit a new housing estate show home - whatever they have on display is all you need.

Dont remove everything though, we viewed a house last year where there was litterally nothing decorative left. Not at all welcoming.

Fresh flowers in clean vases are a must.

The rooms clearly defined thing is very important - if you have one of those dining rooms that has a computer in and loads of tat - pack it all a way, a dining room must be a dining room, candles and all. A bedroom must be a bedroom not a dump/study.

Leave the house when there are viewings - or at least get one of you to take dcs out/get the agent to do viewings. I always found it uncomfortable when trying to look at a house objectively when the family was hanging around.

Remove anything weird. Giant Venture Photography pictures must go. I remember walking into one bedroom and being faced with a huge photo (about 4ft square) of a NUDE husband cradling (fortunately in his lap) his newborn baby.

Consider paying out for the cheapest new carpet you can. Many viewers said to us "Oh, lovely new carpets" when they had been Carpetright's bargain basement cheapest option ever.

I saw a tip about getting some new fluffy towels and putting them out just for viewings - so much better than a damp manky one festering on the towel rail.

I have loads of photos and a photo wall and that is what sold it to our buyer. She said it has such a friendly, warm, homely feel that she loved it.

Obviously I did de-clutter and tidy and cleaned and got it to look as lovely as it could. I did the fluffy towels, even moved my ironing pile into my car boot out of sight for one viewing!! I was keen that our house still looked like a home and not just a room with some twigs in a jar type and no soul.