1. Clear out leaves and debris from the lawn, decks, and flower beds.

Mature trees can be a huge selling point for your property, but you don’t want to remind buyers of how much work they create. As far as yard cleanup goes, your biggest project (and a natural starting point) is to deal with any scattered leaves and debris that make your yard look like a mess.

Depending on the season, you could be in for an endless cycle: gather, scoop, bag…gather, scoop, bag, until your body hates you. Yard cleanup is back-breaking work.

Thankfully, it can be made easier if you have the right equipment and tools. Some of this you might already have at home (as a homeowner, you’re no stranger to lawn maintenance).

But if you have to show your house in a pinch, you could be forced to do more than you’re used to on a condensed timeline. Make sure you’ve got these items on hand so you can work efficiently:

• Long garden glovesHave a few spares around in case you’re able to recruit helpers or your first pair ends up getting dirty. Best if you can get thorn-resistant (like these professional pruning gloves from Amazon) to protect your hands from any project.

• Cordless leaf blowerInvest in a leaf blower and you’ll cut back on time spent manually raking. It’s also great for clearing off decks and hard surfaces that you’d otherwise have to sweep. You won’t regret opting for the cordless kind that frees up your mobility.

• Compost bagsMany cities do compost pick-up like they do trash and recycling. Just make sure you get the bags that the city requires you to use (sometimes they have to say “Compost!” etc.), otherwise you’ll end up having to purchase special stickers for pickup. Always overestimate how many bags you’ll need. Better to have extra for next year than to have to make another hardware store trip. If you have to take care of yard waste yourself, invest in some reusable garden waste bags for easy transport.

• Leaf scoopsYou can only pick up so many leaves with your bare arms. Leaf scoops or hand rakes are brilliant inventions that allow you to gather up bigger piles at once.

• Leaf gulpSolve the frustrating problem of trying to scoop leaves into a bag that keeps collapsing with a leaf gulp that props it open. It also saves your back because you can sweep in the leaves from the ground rather than having to bend over.