It doesn’t get much better than clearing out the stuff you no longer want AND clearing some cold hard cash. That’s the advantage of a successful garage sale, says Aaron La Pedis, author of The Garage Sale Millionaire, who has learned a thing or two over the years about throwing the perfect sale.

I offer seven tips for making your garage sale a success:

• The bigger, the better – The more stuff you have for sale, the more customers you will attract. Start scouring the house and garage several weeks in advance – and ask friends and neighbors to contribute and/or join in.
• Promotion is key – Skip the store bought kind and prepare at least 20 large, hand printed signs to tack up around the neighborhood and access streets. Also, advertise your sale on Craigslist and in local papers. (Be a good neighbor and remove signs after the sale.)
• Early Bird helpers – Don’t shoo away the early birds. Let them help tote boxes and sale items out of the garage and even help lay them out. It gives them a chance to get first peek at what you are selling and helps you get ready on time.
• Sale configuration – Place the largest items closest to the curb. Large pieces attract passersby, so when the first large pieces have been sold, bring the largest remaining pieces to the curb.
• Leave room to negotiate – Price the most valuable sale items a few dollars higher than you expect to leave room for negotiation. But don’t settle for far less than something is worth. You may be able to sell it on eBay or Craigslist.
• Don’t price the cheapest items – Try to get buyers to make you an offer. Ask them what sounds fair to them. The more you interact with buyers, the likelier you are to make a sale.
• Offer food for sale – Let the kids man a table selling muffins, bagels, cookies and drinks. Customers who are fed will stay longer and buy more