Organize a Yard Sale Before a Move

Whether you are looking to get rid of things you no longer want or you need some extra cash, hosting a yard sale before a move is a great way to gather the whole community and reduce the clutter in your house before you leave the neighborhood. Our Little Rock movers share their best yard sale tips to help you organize a successful yard sale.

Ask About a Permit to Host a Yard Sale

Before you get started, an important yard sale tip from our local Little Rock movers is to verify whether or not you need a permit in your area to organize a yard sale before a move. Most neighborhoods will allow you to sell items on your own property, but homes with an HOA have stricter guidelines. Check with your local city hall as well as your HOA about the rules and regulations regarding a yard sale.

Clearing Out Your House

Before you can even organize a yard sale before a move, you first need to sort through your belongings. Start with the items you no longer need such as your children's clothing they have outgrown or gently used shoes that you no longer wear. Perhaps there are small, niche appliances you purchased on impulse a while ago but only used once, like that juicer or ice cream maker. Write down a list of the items you wish to sell and set a price a price range for each item - the highest that item will likely go for and the lowest at which you are willing to part with it. Keep in mind that people will most likely haggle the price, so start off on the higher end of that price range.

As you sell things, you can cross them off the list. Get your family involved and turn it into a game, like Bingo! Whoever wins gets first pick of the bedrooms in the new house or treated to a mini room makeover with new bed linens or a few new décor items. Throw in extra challenges for another prize; whoever sells that one item everyone wants to get rid of but is hard to sell could be treated to ice cream or gets to pick the movie and snacks for movie night. Make it fun.

Advertising the Yard Sale

Now that you have gathered enough items to sell, you need to pick a date and start spreading the word around town. Saturday and Sundays are usually the best days to organize a yard sale before a move because most people work during the week. The simplest way to advertise is online, not to mention the fact that it's free. Use social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get the word out to friends, family, and the community. If your community is very involved, even word of mouth would work as well. Set up signs on your front lawn so anyone passing by knows you are hosting a yard sale. You can also offer free drinks and light snacks to those who pass by, maybe throw in a little treat with every purchase. Those little knick knacks that aren't really worth anything or any of the “free totes with purchase” you've accumulated could be thrown in if someone purchased an expensive item, like furniture or electronics.

Make Sure You Have Enough Change

Chances are people will bring large bills, so the day before the yard sale, make sure to go to the bank for the smaller bills - a lot of single dollar bills, fives, tens, and maybe a few twenties. Don't forget about coins! Ask the bank of quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. Honestly, though, if someone doesn't have the exact change, it's no big deal, it's a yard sale, not your sole source of income, so just take it off the total.

Monitor the Weather

You want to make sure you have the best weather on the day of your yard sale. People are more inclined to come in the morning when the temperatures are cooler. You also want to check for inclement weather such as rain or a lot of wind. You don't want things getting wet or blown away and people are less likely to stop and look around in those conditions.

Be Personable

To successfully host yard sale, you want to make sure you are approachable and friendly. Greet each person as they approach your yard. Don't get upset or irate when they haggle a price much lower than what you expected. If it really is too low, be stern, don't budge on the price, but maintain that friendly demeanor; maybe even explain to them that you really can't go lower than a certain price. They'll either take it or not, but there's no need to get upset. Thank everyone who comes by and especially those who buy your items. You want to leave a good impression so that if you organize a yard sale again, they will be more likely to return.

Be Safe

All My Sons Moving & Storage just want to remind you to stay safe and be vigilant. If you follow these tips from the professionals, then you will definitely have a successful yard sale. If there are still items that didn't sell, you could always try selling them through OfferUp, Letgo, or the Facebook Marketplace. When you're ready to move after the yard sale, call our friendly moving consultants to learn more about the moving services we offer and get a free estimate.