Clearing Clutter with Craigslist

If you're moving, selling or just want extra clutter gone, Craigslist can be a great way to reduce the stuff in your home and net some extra money. You can sell just about any item you like on Craigslist - barring illegal stuff, of course! - and there are plenty of people eager to get some deals for it.

You need to look at your item with a jaundiced eye. Sure, it may be the crib where all your children slept when they were infants, but to the potential buyer, it's just a crib. You need to see it how they see it and realize that the scratches that Bobby put there when he was first learning to walk mean from $10 to $50 off the worth to a buyer. If you're selling it to get rid of it, let it go without trying to get the best price possible; it will go on to a new life with the person who bought it and you will have some extra space and extra money.

Clean the item if at all possible. If it's a piece of furniture, a steam cleaning, vacuuming and/or spraying with an appropriate cleaner will help it look its best. A deodorizer is a good idea for items that have been slept in, sat on or otherwise had close contact with humans or animals. Smells that you might not notice will be one of the first things a buyer notices.

Take good pictures. On Craigslist, the picture is worth a novel's worth of descriptive words. If they can't visualize the item, it's harder to justify contacting you and heading over to your house to take a look. Make sure the item is in good light and beware of reflective surfaces that might show the flash of the camera. Take several pictures, from several different angles, if possible. Unless it's absolutely necessary, no people or animals should be in the picture. They're coming to the listing to see the item, not pictures of your toddler or your puppy.

The price should be reasonable for the item. A good idea is to do some research and see what similar items are going for and price accordingly. Don't try to get people to look at your ad by marking the "Free" box or posting a price that you later inflate in the ad copy. This leads to confusion and ultimately to many a failed sale.

The ad copy should have a short description of the item (in addition to the pictures), any defects/imperfections that might be of concern to a potential buyer and be spell checked. Set expectations and keep them; if you say to call between 5 and 7, have your phone on and with you between 5 and 7. Make the title short, to the point and avoid a lot of the attention-getting CAPS or !!!!@@@@#####$$$$$%%%%%%%%%.

Use Craigslist's anonymous email feature; don't put your email, phone number, address or any other personal information in the ad copy itself. If at all possible, only admit buyers in the daytime and only when you have someone with you. It's perfectly okay, if the item is easily transportable, to meet buyers in a neutral area, like a shopping mall or coffee shop. Insist on cash and refuse checks, money orders, and the like. There are many scams being run on Craigslist and you can be a victim if you aren't sharp. Don't be afraid to count the money in front of the buyer. There are quite a few people who sold something worth a lot of money to someone with one $50 bill and a lot of $1 bills.

Selling your stuff on Craigslist can net you a bit of cash and get rid of unwanted and unneeded items. A bit of time and effort to market your items can pay off in a quick sale.

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For information on Notasulga AL real estate, contact Rozi Dover, your Notasulga real estate expert, at Auburn-OpelikaHomes.com

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