HALP - only got this weekend to declutter before photos

[SheilasLemonade]

Seen and fallen in love with a house. Trying to get into a proceedable position ASAP and are having the house valued and photos taken Monday.

I've managed to book a window cleaner for today but what would you prioritise? I've only got this weekend to do it and we've got a party and a family BBQ.

What's the absolute musts? Should I paint? Just declutter? Give me your best tips!!

If it was ME I'd pull out of the BBQ & party..

then Mumsnetters seem to have a lot of actual rubbish around the house & if you're one of them I'd take a bin bag around & fill that.

it's only photos Monday, not viewings, so you can fill cupboards & shut them!!

bag anything for charity & shove it by the front door to go in the car on Monday.

BE THERE MONDAY & move big things 'out of shot' (like huge kids toys, airer, gaming chairs)

clean the kitchen work surfaces off & put nice things only on them.

best of luck!!

Just declutter. We even filled our car boot with loads of clutter before photos/viewings

How bad is it?! And how many adults available to help?

We got house ready in similar rush recently but it wasn’t very cluttered. I’d prioritise:

exterior tidy and welcoming entrance (flowering plants in tubs, clean windows and front door, weed driveway etc)
living areas and main bedroom - declutter, clean like mad, stage it a bit I.e. flowers / bedding
kitchen and bathroom - declutter and scrub until it gleams

If anything obvious is broken, get it sorted I.e. replace light bulbs, tighten cupboard door hinges.

Then if you have time, tidy the garden and tidy up kids’ rooms to a reasonable level.

If its just photos then you can shove things in cupboards/stash in the car/put in a bit of the garden you arent going to photograph/put in friendly neighbours garden

Remove every un necessary item from every room

Clear off every counter in the kitchen, including the kettle and toaster

Remove all shampoos soaps etc from the bathroom

Hide all the rubbish bins including the kitchen

Hide all laundry baskets

Leave one coat on any coat rack and hang it nicely

make sure all your curtains are fully back and hanging nicely

make sure all the beds are neatly made and consider getting a ‘stunt’ quilt that you only put over the top for the photos and viewings (that way rumpled duvet covers dont matter so much). Check that the bed looks nice all the way around the sides as well as on the top

If you have childrens toys, then get rid of all but an ‘aspirational toy box’ full

Flowers/geraniums outside the front door and if you have a garden table set up, then consider putting some out there too

Thank you all - yes, fully planning on chucking a load of stuff in our cars and neighbour (friend) has said we can put bigger things in her living room for an hour so think I'll do most of DSs toys in there so his room is thinned right out.

Loads going up in the loft today. DH sorting back garden and I'm doing front. New stones/gravel and flowers in empty window box.

He disagrees that all utensils need to be moved. I'll win. He's currently sulking because I'm making him tidy the spice rack!!

For photos you basically just need clear surfaces and a sense of space. Achieve it by any means necessary! Then you’ve got maybe a week before viewings so declutter as much as humanly possible and stash things wherever you can that’s not visible in your house.

Not sure I’d put stuff in the loft, because you’ll have to keep getting it out again. Put it somewhere easily accessible.

Just to update everyone - it was a slog but we got the whole house gutted and staged for photos.

Only to sell the house to the first people that looked at it before it went on the open market!!!

Hurrah! Well done 😃

@SeaToSki loving the stunt duvet idea 🤣 where does it go when not ‘in action’ @SheilasLemonade congratulations! May make packing easier having had a least a quick sort out (trying to find a positive in all that work which wasn’t needed!)

@Spangledstarlight
I put the stunt duvet (carefully rolled up) on top of the wardrobe so that DH and the DC couldnt mess with it.

All the other stunt stuff was similarly moved and replaced when needed!

Nice job @SheilasLemonade clearly you made the place look irresistible

Thanks @SeaToSki I’m now stealing this idea!