I’m a packrat. I still have textbooks from high school, copies of all the newspaper articles I’ve ever written and clothes I haven’t worn in 10 years. Sadly for my mother, all of that is collecting dust in her garage.

Lucky for me, she’s not planning to sell her home anytime soon. But if you’re planning to sell your home, now is not the time to be a packrat. In fact, this is the time to purge your life of things you never use. Think of it as starting new in your new home, and ditching all the unnecessary baggage you’ve been trying to carry with you for the past 5 to 10 years.

So go forth and clean and declutter. Cleaniness is next to godliness, especially in real estate. If you don’t use it, sell it, give it away or throw it out. Hold a garage sale, donate to Goodwill or post it on Craigslist. People are always looking for free or cheap stuff.

Someday I’ll go through the stuff at my mom’s house. Someday.