Selling your home is a major undertaking. You have to get everything right to attract potential buyers from clearing clutter, giving your home a thorough deep cleaning as well as keeping it ready for both scheduled and unscheduled showings. With so many tasks clamoring for your attention, the entire process can get quite stressful.

However, selling your home doesn’t have to be a draining and overwhelming transition. Getting organized and having a plan to cover the basics goes a long way towards making the process as stress-free as possible.

Here are 4 tips to help you stay organized and keep you heading in the right direction.

1. Hire a realtor.

Hiring a real estate agent to help you sell your home can make everything run so much more smoothly. Being knowledgeable about the local real estate trends, your realtor can advise you on how to appropriately price your house for the market as well as how to best market it to attract bids from serious buyers.

Additionally, a realtor can help you with staging your house to look its best. Plus, they can organize showings, handle appointments from potential buyers and also notify you of upcoming showings, so you’re not caught unaware.

2. Find a way to keep clutter at bay.

When your aim is to make your home as inviting as possible, cluttered tabletops, overstuffed closets, and crowded counters can work against you. Keeping your home consistently clean and tidy starts by finding ways to control this clutter.

Start by going through all your stuff and packing, throwing, donating or selling what you don’t need or use. You can also corral clutter by keeping a laundry basket by the door so that you can quickly gather up strewn items on the run during last-minute showings and store the basket in your car. This saves you from stashing items in the cupboards and praying that buyers don’t take a peek inside.

3. Have a checklist of all the required repairs or improvement projects.

A house that’s fallen into disrepair can deter interested buyers from making bids. To avoid this, use a home repair checklist and walk through your house, room to room, listing everything that needs to be fixed, replaced or upgraded.

This way, you can prioritize and start with the most urgent tasks while scheduling the rest to be tackled later on. Having a checklist to refer to ensures that all repairs get done and eliminates the hassle of running around at the last minute.

4. Bring in a team of professional cleaners.

Giving your home a deep cleaning prior to selling it is essential. However, this can be a time and labor intensive task. If you can afford it, hire professional cleaners to do it for you. You can even schedule frequent light cleaning sessions if your house is on the market for a long time. This ensures that your home always looks clean and bright in case of impromptu showings.

With the right plan of action, selling your home needn’t be a stressful affair.