Step One: DeClutter and DePersonalize

This step may be the most challenging in preparing your home for sale. We all have too much stuff. If you have lived in your house for any amount of time, you have also learned how to “store” things. We all do it, so don’t feel bad! 

On the upside, decluttering your home before you sell it will also help with your moving expenses and cut down the unpacking time in your new place. That may be just the spark you need to motivate you!

When decluttering your home, we recommend removing anything that you don’t absolutely need. Hopefully, the selling process won’t take very long, and who knows, you may decide you like the minimalist living! Go through your closets and take out off-season clothing. We want those closets to appear large and welcoming. Think of a new construction model home or a Pottery Barn ad. Less furniture and fewer knick-knacks will make the home feel larger. It will also allow buyers to move around easier. It might even be worth it to rent a storage place for a bit to store things that you absolutely cannot part with.

When depersonalizing your home, think about things like artwork and personal photos. A rule that is easy to remember is “no eyes.” Remove any photos of people or pets. You want prospective buyers to be able to picture themselves in your home. The will not be able to visualize that if your personal photos are in the house, “watching” them move around.

Same goes for the trend of kids’ names in children’s rooms. We highly suggest to take these pieces of artwork down or paint over the names. It is not only a way to depersonalize, but a common sense safety precaution. Exposing your kids names and photos to strangers is just not smart in this day and age.

Step Two: Clean

You may need to take a break after decluttering and depersonalizing before starting this step. Cleaning your home in preparation to sell will be quite a task. Remember, we are looking for a magazine ad look. Some things that you may not think about are ceiling fans, crown moldings, baseboards, drawers, and cabinets. The prospective buyers will be inspecting every inch of your house, and you want it to sparkle! If you have children, we empathize with you. If you have teens, let us know—we have a little goodie to help incentivize them to help! Unfortunately, this isn’t a one and done exercise. You will need to make the beds, clean the counters, and make sure things are dusted and floors are in tip-top condition every day. Keeping your home show-ready may be a bit harder than the decluttering project you just tackled.

Step Three: Staging

Your home is decluttered, depersonalized, and clean. These are the first tasks needed to be completed before staging. Next, you will want to stage rooms to make them look their best to prospective buyers. Buyers are attracted to light, bright, and uncluttered. Remove any extra furniture pieces you may have. Doing this will make the space seem larger. Remember the model home layout? If your furniture is older or you have already moved it to your new house, you can rent furniture to stage the space. The best rooms to stage are the living room, master bedroom, and the kitchen. Remember, staging is different than interior design. We can help connect you with a stager if you need one. 

Step Four: Repairs

If there are any repairs that you have been procrastinating on, now is the time to get them done. The door that doesn’t close correctly, the hole in the wall from the kids playing in the house, the beat-up paint, etc. Look, we get it. Time gets away from us all, and these small jobs always get put on the back burner. Now is the time to get these projects done. It may be worth it to hire a handyman to knock it all out for you at once. Chances are, you will wonder why you waited so long after the repairs are complete.

Step Five: Pre-listing Home Inspection

The last step you need to complete before putting your home on the market is having a pre-listing home inspection done. This is not mandatory, but we do advise it. The benefit of this is that it allows you to repair items your way and on your time and budget. Uncovering issues you may not be aware of will help to make sure your home is in tip-top condition. The goal is to not have any issues show up on the buyer’s inspection report, potentially costing you in negotiations.