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• Kitchen: Consider what items are worn or outdated and then make a plan to strategically update.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!

Which Renovations Add Value to a Home

If you’re considering selling your home, but have a bit of time before you are ready to do so, you might want to plan a few renovation projects that will enhance the appeal of your home for future buyers. While you shouldn’t make decisions based solely on what you think a future home buyer would want, it’s important to note which renovations add value to a home. That way you can choose a few that serve dual purpose; making the home a better fit for you now, and finding ways to increase the value of your home when you are ready to sell.

1. Paint Your Front Door

This is perhaps the easiest and least expensive upgrade and it’s one of my personal favorite recommendations. A first impression is important and your front door is literally the first impression. Choose a color that is classically trendy, meaning a trending color that isn’t TOO trendy. Turquoise is not classically trendy, but black or navy blue are. Along with new paint consider upgrading hardware and replacing the metal kick plate as well. Check out this gallery of Good Housekeeping’s front door color suggestions if you feel stuck.

Bonus Tip: Add a new front door rug as well!

2. Improve Your Landscaping

HomeLight’s recent Top Agent Insights report revealed that 94% of agents agree buyers are willing to pay more for houses with great curb appeal. This falls under great first impressions as well and a well kept yard sends the message that the rest of the house is well kept too. A yard that clearly needs work has likely already counted against your home before the buyers een step foot in the property. Hose off the sidewalks and porches, trim up the trees and bushes, add new soil aide and plant some pretty flowers. If you have trees or large bushes that are obstructing sidewalks or just seem overgrown, take them out.

3. Make Minor Updates to the Bathrooms

For an easy update replace dated vanity lights or sink and tub fixtures with more modern options. Head to your local hardware store and pick out new knobs for drawers and cabinets as well. These are super easy and inexpensive ways to update your bathroom without ever pulling out a paintbrush or replacing a tile.

Of course if time and budget allow, a fresh coat of paint on the walls, or a trendy update to the cabinet color goes a long way as well.

4. Install a Smart Thermostat

It’s the little things that make a buyer feel at home and knowing they’ve got a modern, programmable thermostat is one of those things no one expects, but everyone appreciates. Like energy efficient appliances, this is something that will continue to gain importance into the future. A programmable thermostat runs $150 to $400 or more, plus installation, but it will save you money while you live there and it will be a bonus selling feature.

5. Create an Open Floor Plan

If you’ve ever watched Fixer Upper with Joanna Gaines, you know one of her key renovation strategies is to take out a wall. The same strategy will work for you too. If your home was built before open floor plans were the standard, then hire a contractor to help you decide which walls can be removed to make the flow of your home more modern. This is definitely not a DIY project for the average homeowner, but it can make a big impact and allow the buyers to envision themselves and their furnishings in the space better.

6. Renovate the Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home and for most homebuyers it’s one of the most important area of the home. A kitchen remodel is one of those renovations that can vary widely in cost. If you are making changes just to upgrade with the intention of selling, then plan your renovation list carefully and keep your budget within reason. There is definitely room to go overboard on a kitchen remodel, which is fine if you are designing the space for yourself, but won’t necessarily be a good investment if the plan is to move shortly after.

Changing out light fixtures and replacing or painting cabinet doors (while leaving the cabinet boxes in place) makes for an easy upgrade with minimal investment if your kitchen just needs a bit of freshening up. Or opt to replace appliances with newer, high efficiency models, and replace backsplashes and counters if you need a more dramatic upgrade. An outdated or poorly functioning kitchen can be a eal break for a lot of home buyers, so take an honest look at what is working and what isn’t in your kitchen. The good news is that if you plan far enough in advance, you can enjoy the new space for a bit as well.

Now that we’ve covered which renovations add value to a home, pick a few to tackle now before you are 100% ready to sell. It’s no fun to spruce up your home just in time for the new owner to enjoy it. Make a plan as early as you can so that you can enjoy it for a bit before moving on to a new home.

The end goal is to have a buyer walk in to your home and think “This home is perfect and there is no work to do to make it move in ready. It must be worth top dollar”.