Seller Checklist: What To Do Before You List Your Home
Deciding to sell your home is a big step. Maybe you are ready to jump up to a bigger home, or maybe a job transfer or family situation is the reason for the move, but regardless, once you decide the time is near, you might be wondering what to do before you list your home for sale.
We’ve put together this handy home seller checklist to help you organize and tackle the task of preparing your home to list. There are a few key things you can do, in advance of the sign going up in your yard, to ensure a smooth and profitable process.
1. Contact a Listing Agent
It might seem like you should get all your ducks in a row before you contact a realtor, but the opposite is true! A realtor can do a pre-listing walk through and point out great features in your home that you’ll want to play up for the listing, and also areas that might need a bit of work. It’s always great to have a second opinion from someone who’s looking out for your best interest. This also gives the realtor a chance to take a peek at your home so they can start working on pricing it correctly.
It’s also a great opportunity for you to interview your realtor if you’ve never worked with them before. It gives you a chance to make sure personalities are a good fit and that you are both comfortable moving forward with the relationship.
2. Make Renovations
We’ve got a great article about which renovations increase a home value, but in general you should walk through your home with a critical eye and make a list of all the things that a potential buyer might not be thrilled with. Start with the quick fixes so you’ll have some wins under your belt, then make arrangements for the bigger items. It’s not necessary to make your home look brand new, but if you can impress potential buyers with the well-kept condition of your home, you’ll get more money in the long run.
Besides obvious repairs, here are a few areas of your home to renovate before listing…
Walls: Patch any obvious holes and consider paint. Painting your walls is a really inexpensive way to freshen up your home. Just make sure and choose colors that will have wide appeal.
Floors: Whether you have hardwood or carpeting, consider the condition. At the very least get the carpets cleaned, but if your floors are worn out, consider getting hardwood refinished or carpet replaced.
Kitchen: Consider what items are worn or outdated and then make a plan to strategically update. A total overhaul is rarely needed. Consider painting or replacing just the cabinet doors and leaving the cabinet boxes in place. Change out the backsplash tile to a more modern look that also ties in with existing countertops. Replace sink faucets but leave the old sink if it’s in good shape. Be smart about where your money goes, as kitchen renovations are easy to overspend on.
Curb Appeal: Cut back overgrown bushes and trees. Rent a power washer and clean off the exterior of the home along with sidewalks and porches. Consider fresh soil aide and plant some flowers. Paint your front door, replace dated porch lights and change out your house numbers for something more modern.
Bathrooms: Replace outdated light fixtures and faucets. Replace toilet seats, if possible, with new ones. Recaulk around the toilet, sink and tub if needed.
Look through the repair list you’ve compiled, figure out how much time you have before you want your home on the market, then make a plan to tackle your seller checklist. You’ll know exactly what to do before you list your home and can keep yourself on track for your target listing date.
3. Declutter
Be ruthless in your decluttering. If you need some motivation to get rid of stuff, keep in mind that everything you keep is going to have to be packed and moved to your new house. Make sure counters and surfaces are free and clear of clutter and appliances as much as possible. Organize under sinks, in cabinets and closets as you can bet some potential home buyers will look inside these locations.
While you’re ruthlessly decluttering, don’t forget about the garage. This is a great time to pack up items you can live without for a bit and rent a storage unit, rather than piling things in the garage. Remember that empty spaces give the impression of more space, which is exactly what a buyer is looking for.
4. Deep Clean
I can’t stress this enough. People have all different standards of cleanliness and before you list your home, you should strive to meet the cleanliness standards of the Royal Palace. Clean everything! In the event that the Queen herself comes to walk through your house, you want to make sure that you are giving the impression of a well kept, well maintained home. Have high standards! Clean that crevice between the counter and the stove, wipe out underneath sinks and cabinets, and dust the tip top corner of your entry way that likely hasn’t been touched in years.
Be sure and get your carpets cleaned if you aren’t replacing them. Clean your windows inside and out and wipe down walls and mouldings.
5. Stage Your Home
You can stage your home yourself or hire a professional stager, but the end goal is the same; to create an inviting space that the prospective buyer can envision as their own. That means you need to try and remove your personality from your home as much as possible. Think of your rooms as a furniture display, create a center focus for each room, and remove everything else. For example your home office may actually double as a workout room and the kids art center, but move everything else out and position the desk with the best view of the window.
Removing large collections you may have displayed, taking down family portraits and simplifying decor options will all help make your space more inviting to a prospective home buyer.
The end goal is to have someone walk into your home and feel like it’s essentially move in ready. This seller checklist will help you organize what to do before you list your home so that you can avoid overwhelm and move forward with a winning plan. Use your realtor as a resource whenever you have questions. I’ve helped many through this process and know what the pain points usually are, so I have help you avoid them upfront!