If you spent the last year “Covid cleaning,” you’ll be glad to hear that this year’s neighborhood garage sale is on!

It will be held on May 1.

The HOA will be advertising and placing signs and balloons at the entrances of the neighborhood.

So, pull out those treasures you’ve set aside and get ready to cash in!

Tips for a successful sale

Let people know you’re open for business: Tie a balloon around your mailbox to draw attention to your sale. This is helpful if there’s a lot of traffic along the street. You want to bring those buyers in!

Organize your sale items: Place like items together. People often come to a garage sale looking for something in particular. This makes it easy for you and buyers to find what they’re interested in.

Bundle up: If you have a collection of items, bundle them and reduce the price. Everyone loves a deal — so a bundle of books or CDs may sell faster than individual items.

Speaking of books: If you have a lot of books to sell, you could bundle a genre together. Tie a bow around it and add a label like “Books you’ll love,” “Beach reads,” or “Teen titles.”

Keep it clean: Make sure items are clean. While this is especially important for clothing, it’s also important for other items. Dust off lamps, wipe off pans, clean frames and pictures.

Display it: There’s a reason stores pay attention to how items are displayed. It helps them sell! Show off your beautiful items by getting them up on a table.

Or create a “scene” with your items. A chair, rug, lamp, table, and dishware can be displayed together. This helps people envision how they can use the items.

Set a realistic price: Of course, we want to make money, but consider pricing carefully. Dave Ramsey has pricing suggestions in this blog post.

It’s better to sell out early than to be left with unsold items!

Use price stickers: Make it easy for you to sell by using price stickers on items, or color code prices.

This makes it easier to manage the throngs of people who will be hovering over your beautifully displayed items!!

Do you love to haggle? Be ready for it! Unless you have a firm price in mind, most garage sale shoppers love to bargain!

Have some change: Sell in increments of .25, so you’ll only need quarters to make change. Be sure to have additional bills for your change. And, keep your money box safe! Use an apron with pockets to keep your money close by.

Enlist the whole family! In years past, entrepreneurial kids have sold donuts, coffee, and water. Additionally, this is a good way to encourage young members of the family to clean out their rooms!!

Here’s to a fun and successful garage sale!