How to Prepare Your Home for Sale
Home Seller’s Checklist: Decisions are made. Research is done. Agent is hired. What next?
As you prepare to begin showing your home to prospective buyers, you might consider taking some of the steps listed here.
Potential buyers welcome a home that is clean, neat, uncluttered, in good repair, light and quiet.
Buyers want to fulfill a wish list, not a to-do list. When they see a bunch of fix-up projects when walking into your house they’ll turn away and move on to the next home on their list. It’s usually not one big thing, but a lot of little things that turn buyers away. If there are problems and a significant to-do list, your house will drop to the bottom of their list, or attract an offer much less than what you’re looking for. Present buyers with a complete package that is move-in ready – a home they can be comfortable and happy in.
Quick List
- Clean Everything! Just like selling anything, the newer/better it looks the more appealing
- Un-clutter home before showing – and definitely before marketing photos
- Lighten the home (open shades/blinds and replace light bulbs as needed)
- Let in fresh air (flowers and potpourri can help too)
- Fix anything broken
- Have the carpets cleaned
- Paint (easiest way to make a home look fresh and clean)
There are a few things to think about when buyers set appointments and start to view your home. It’s best to not be home when buyers are viewing and especially for an open house. People walking into someone else’s home may feel a little uncomfortable already. If the whole family and dog are there it can be downright awkward.
The goal is to appeal to as many buyers as possible. The ideal scenario is to have multiple buyers interested. This gives you options as the seller to choose the best offer with the potential for closing the smoothest.
One of the best pieces of advice we can give about showing your home to buyers is to think about this – most people see things as they are and not what they could or will be. With that in mind, do NOT start renovations while selling your house. Also, it’s better to have the home as move-in ready as possible while showing compared to the alternative “This or that will be fixed when we move or just before the house closes escrow.” That’s a potential red-flag for any buyer.
Try as best you can to take emotions out of the transaction. Approaching the sale as an item being sold and not as something sentimental will help you make sound decisions and negotiate easier.
The following home seller’s checklist may seem a bit overwhelming at first but, most likely, not everything will apply to your unique home.
