House for sale

After eight months of commuting between two cities that are 2 hours and 40 minutes apart and 2 1/2 months of permanently living in a city that's 2 hours and 40 minutes away from the city where I own a home, I'm trying to get said home on the market. I bought the home a year and a half ago in an ill-timed fit of maturity because I was sick of being beholden to a landlord financially and, well, everyone else was doing it.

I say ill-timed, but at the time there was absolutely nothing in the world that was going to take me away from the city I was living in. There was absolutely no chance (in my mind) of a company transfer or of my dream job becoming available, therefore my living/working situation at the time seemed perfect and permanent. Months later? Dream job came available, transfer became reality.

So after what was a blissfully and surprisingly (and comparatively) easy buying process that resulted in me getting a brand-new, built-from-scratch townhome, I'm now entering the selling process wondering is it going to be as hellish as everyone claims it will be? The good news is the company is helping me out a smidge with the whole selling/moving process, and I therefore am one rung of hell closer to purgatory. Bad news is it's not a seller's market and I'm competing against new construction.***

But, as I'm interviewing selling agents and visiting with the movers and trying to get the ducks in a row, I realize I way underestimated the work it's going to take getting this place ready for sale. The good news is neither I nor anyone else is living in it right now. The bad news is, I'm not living in it right now. Once I get it ready and clean, it should stay ready and clean, but I really have little opportunity to get it ready and clean. I'm spending two vacation days as it is right now just to get AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE done. I don't want to spend much more of my precious free time.

So, as I love lists and I love to be organized, I'm making my plan of action as we speak:
1. CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN (I actually am doing something I never EVER thought I'd do: hire a cleaning service ... I read Nickel and Dimed and thought I shouldn't support such poor employer tactics but I'm DESPERATE.)
2. Paint over ever mark and scratch I can find. Fortunately I haven't had time to do much damage. Unfortunately there's still damage.
3. Pack. I've been trying to get rid of all the personal effects in the house for months now, but well, it's a slow process. And requires a place to put it all. Will probably be renting ANOTHER storage unit today.
4. Staging. You've all seen it done on HGTV. I'm trying to do it on my own without the benefit of HGTV or some sort of company I have to pay for. I really have no freakin' idea what I'm doing, but the agent I spoke with today said "the more pristine and the more Pottery Barn you can make it, the better."

Does anyone who's sold before have any tips????

***Anyone looking to move to Nashville soon, please let me know. K? Thanks.