Here's a 100 buck fix for your whole home.  Buy white vinegar, some degreasing dish soap, a packet of lemon koolaid, washing soda, and if you have tile with grout get generic household bleach.  Provide rags from old clothing that has been washed, torn into roughly dishtowel sized pieces and made of cotton whenever possible.  Leave the hems and seams off.  Add as much help as you can find and grab your brooms, mops, vacumns, dust busters, buckets and work clothes.  Get out your elbow grease and clean your place.  Walls washed from bottom to top (so you won't get dirt streaks) with washing soda.  Then clean the trim.  Little kids dust the floor trim and an adult comes up from behind washing it while keeping little kids on track.  Tops of door jams need to be clean.  Tops of cabinets need to be clean and cabinets washed inside an out with vinegar and water (see recipe on bottle, I'd buy a gallon.)  Add a dash of the degreasing soap if you fry cook alot.  Toss the koolaid in the dishwasher using the direction to clean it.  Rent a rug cleaner and get the stuff you need to clean rugs with.  Plan on scrubbing slow in both directions.  where plastic bags over your feet if you absolutely must go into the room before it is completely dry.  Post a sign at the doors saying take off your shoes.

As others are cleaning each and every room within an inch by inch method someone needs to sort out clothes that are essencial, toys, dishes etc.  You don't need new, you need absolutely the least amount of stuff, no mess, and spotlessly clean.  Outside needs to be cleaned up too.

Ask for help from every one including your realitor who may have fixit people you need for things that must be fixed.  Don't remodel..clean somemore.

If there is enough money, rent a storage space and fill it with your extra belongings.  If there is enough money after that..save it.  You may needed. 

Don't forget who you owe for help and give them IOU's they can "cash in" for your elbow grease and cleaning. 

A clean house means you cared inspite of the paint or layout.  This means it was maintained.  (maybe not but it seems to say that. )  A home with the absolute minimum of stuff means you care about quality not quanity.  You only need a few items per room.  Talk to your realitor about how to do this or check online.   Clean is more important than any new knobs or mirrors or stuff.  So few people know this.  Lack of clutter is second to clean.   

baking cookies*...fresh* rememberable?hahahaha

They are right.  Nothing sells like Clean.  Get off the spell check.  They had the guts to give you some good advice.  Just take it.  If you want to be critical of some one read the paper or look in the mirror. 

Thanks for the article.  I will print it and pass it along.  Just as you wrote it.