This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Yard Sale Fever

School has ended, signifying the official start of our summer. If you are overrun with too much in your household, it may be time for a little yard sale action.

There is still time to unload some treasured junk if you haven’t tended to your spring cleaning.  Make a little summer spending money and organize your house by hosting a yard sale, and enjoy a guilt-free summer.

As a veteran yard-seller of more than 40 years, I speak from experience. I came about my yard-selling wisdom through blood, sweat and tears. (I am, of course, including the time I fell down the driveway while carrying my mother’s china.)

There are some important things you should consider when having a yard sale. First, if you live in a neighborhood with protected covenants, check your Home Owner’s Association for any restrictions. Some neighborhoods hold community yard sales annually.

Find out what's happening in Kennesawwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Next, decide on a date. For reasons unbeknownst to me, the yard sale gods have deemed Friday as the best day for yard sales in Kennesaw. If your schedule allows, I would definitely recommend Friday.

Check with neighbors to see if they want to coordinate a sale date. This is also helpful in sharing the burden of advertising. Serious yard sale shoppers love to see multi-family yard sales.

Find out what's happening in Kennesawwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Get it in gear and plan to have your sale within the next two or three weeks. Mark your calendar along with a fall back rain date and stick to it.  This will light a fire under you by creating a sense of urgency.

Get boxes, lots of boxes. The more boxes you have, the more you will fill. The last thing you want to do is have to fetch more boxes when you are in a de-cluttering frenzy. Many restaurants and liquor stores are happy to hold boxes for you. Call ahead. DO NOT FILL THE BOXES WITHOUT REINFORCING WITH TAPE. (See paragraph referring to Mom’s china!)

Price your items as you put them in the box. Customers are much more likely to purchase an item if labeled with an existing price. You can pick up pre-printed price stickers at Walmart, or they are usually available at Dollar General.

Walmart and home improvement stores also carry pre-printed signs. If you make your own, use all the same color for identification, and keep lettering large and to a minimum. Recycled cardboard also works fine. Use arrows instead of street addresses.   

Cleaning out closets and drawers is physically taxing and emotionally challenging. It’s hard to part with memories, but sometimes we need to de-clutter in order to move forward and make room for new memories. Be ruthless. If you haven’t used it in a year, sell it.

Arrange for tables. Ask friends, neighbors, and check at work or church. Saw horses and plywood work great. Don’t forget about your picnic or patio and card tables.

Next, if you live within the city limits, you are required to get a yard sale/garage sale permit. The purpose of the permit is to keep our city from being polluted with signage and serves as preventing repeat retail exchanges in our neighborhoods. You can pick up your permit at the front desk of . There is not currently a fee for hosting a yard sale, but you can be fined if you do not have a permit.

Lastly, put out your signs and put an ad on Craigslist. Don’t forget to get change from your bank. Plan to wear a fanny pack or carpenter’s apron, and secure your excess cash frequently.

Your goal should be not to take any items back in your house once you have cleared them out. Negotiate and unload. Be sure to up sell. Suggest the Pokémon cards to the parent looking at your son’s clothing. Offer a teacher the entire box of children’s books for one price to take them all.

Condense similar items toward the later part of your sale, and mark one price takes everything. Donate the items that don’t sell, or post on Craigslist for someone to haul away for free or for one low price. Pick five things to keep that don’t sell.

That’s it.

You will be rewarded with a sense of accomplishment, organized space and hopefully some cash in your pocket. Put your feet up and order pizza. You deserve it. 

We invite you to share your yard sale tips with our Patch readers by leaving them in the comment section.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Kennesaw