Before you stage a West Ashley house for sale, book a roll-off dumpster for the driveway so everything you clear out goes in one place. You pull years of belongings out of closets, the garage and the attic, and you decide what stays, what goes with you, and what goes out. That last pile can be the biggest of the three.
Family Trash is Tony Gentile's local rent-a-dumpster service on James Island, a short drive from West Ashley, and Tony does every delivery and pickup himself.
Why is a dumpster easier than trips to the dump?
Hauling carloads on weekends works, but it can stretch over weeks, and a half-cleared garage is hard to photograph. With a dumpster in the driveway, you load on your own schedule and call for pickup when the house is clear. Delivery, pickup and disposal are included in the price.
With a dumpster, the pile stays off the lawn. Bags and furniture stacked by the road can sit there for days while the house is on the market.
Which size fits a staging cleanout?
Staging cleanouts are mostly household material: old furniture, closet contents, broken shelving, mattresses and general clutter. For clearing the closets, the garage and some furniture, the 13-yard dumpster is a good place to start. It includes 1 ton and 5 days and fits in a standard driveway.
If the staging includes pulling carpet across a few rooms, step up to the 17-yard dumpster, with 1.5 tons and 5 days. If you're emptying a full house and attic before the sale, the 17 or the 22 fits, depending on the house, so tell us the house and what's going. Our dumpster size guide compares all four sizes.
What should you clear before the photos?
Work through the rooms buyers look at first. Clear the counters in the kitchen and bathrooms. Empty closets to about half full so they look roomy. Take extra furniture out of the living room and bedrooms so each room shows one clear purpose. Clear the garage floor so buyers can see the space.
Pack family photos, collections and personal items into boxes for the move instead of the dumpster. Outside, pull dead plants from the beds, clear brush along the fence line and remove broken patio furniture. All of the outdoor clutter can go in the same dumpster.
How do you sort a house you're selling?
Set up four piles: moving with you, storage, donate and dumpster. If you're downsizing, measure the rooms in the new place before you decide which furniture moves. Things you want to keep but not show during the listing can go to a storage unit until closing.
Schedule the donation drop-off or pickup for the same week as the dumpster, so the donate pile is out of the house on time. Whatever doesn't sell or get donated by pickup day goes in the dumpster.
What about repairs before you list?
You'll pull out debris during small repairs too: old blinds, dated light fixtures, worn carpet, a cracked vanity top, loose fence boards and peeling wallpaper. Load that debris into the same dumpster as the clutter. Tony takes almost everything, paint included, so the half-empty paint from touch-ups goes in too. Oil goes in only in a sealed, wrapped container. Tell us what's going in when you book.
How do you time the dumpster around your listing?
Staging has deadlines. Photos get scheduled, the open house gets set, and the cleanout has to be done before any of that. Get the dumpster in early, while you're still deciding what goes, and load at your own pace.
The 13 and 17 include 5 days, and a rental can run up to 30 days, or longer if you call. Tell us your photo date when you book. When the last load is in, call for pickup, and Tony will tell you when he can be out. If you fill the dumpster before the house is clear, ask for a swap-out.
Where should the dumpster sit while you're selling?
Put it on the driveway or a side pad, out of the way of the front walk. A dumpster on your own driveway needs no permit. If a City of Charleston street in front of the house is the only open spot, the city requires a permit, and you pull it. Our dumpster permit page explains when one is needed.
You don't need to be home for delivery or pickup, which helps if you've already moved out.
Can you use curb pickup instead?
For a few pieces, yes. If you're on City of Charleston collection, the city's trash and yard waste collection page says "Junk, furniture and other bulk items can be placed in their own pile at the curb on your collection day." If your address isn't on City collection, Charleston County's recycling and convenience center page lists drop-off sites. With a dumpster, you clear a house's worth of clutter at once before the listing, with no pile by the road.
How do you book?
Book online in about two minutes, or text or call (843) 800-0689. Tony calls every online order to confirm. West Ashley is well inside 25 miles of James Island, so there's no fuel fee. The price for a West Ashley address shows in the online booking, and our dumpster rental cost page explains what's included. See our West Ashley service area page for more on the area.
Questions about clearing a house before you list it
When in the selling process should I get the dumpster?
Before the photos. Rooms photograph larger once the clutter is gone, and a cleanout done early leaves time for repairs and touch-ups.
What size clears a West Ashley house before listing?
The 13-yard fits the closets, the garage and some furniture. If you're emptying the house completely, attic included, the 17 or 22 fits, depending on the house.
Can I sort and donate while it's sitting there?
Yes. Work a room at a time, take the donate pile out at the end of each day, and put everything else in the dumpster.
How many days does a staging cleanout need?
Book enough days to clear one room at a time, with a day to spare before the photos. The 13 and 17 include 5 days, and you can book up to 30 days or longer.
Will a dumpster in the driveway be there during showings?
Not if you plan the pickup. Clear the house, call for pickup, then photograph and show. Tell us your listing date when you book.
When you're ready, text or call (843) 800-0689. Tell us the house, what you're clearing and your photo date.
Need a dumpster in Charleston? Call or text Tony at (843) 800-0689, or order online.
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