This is something I’m frequently asked when working with new clients that will be selling their home. I usually rephrase the question as:

How do I prepare my home for sale?

Home preparation is more broad than home staging and unfortunately a lot less sexy. Home preparation is about doing the hard work necessary to make a home absolutely ✨shine ✨ throughout the entire process from the professional photo shoot, to the first day prospective buyers and real estate agents walk through your home, and less visibly when a buyer’s home inspector starts poking at beams with a screwdriver.

Home Preparation includes

repairs,
refreshing,
tidying and decluttering
cleaning,
and finally
setting the space (aka staging).

1. What repairs are needed?

When we talk about your goals and plans when selling your home, we’ll talk about any recommended repairs and the pros and cons of not making any repairs.

First we want to look at any potential safety issues such as broken windows, missing or loose handrails, broken stairs. These can present issues depending on the buyer’s financing program. Since more than 90% of all home purchases are financed, fixing anything in advance that could impact financing, will save you time and frustration in the long run.

Then we’ll look for possible items that may come up during home inspection: electrical, plumbing, systems (HVAC, water heaters), appliances, roof, gutters, siding, bulkheads. Depending on age and condition of any item, you may want to consider replacement or servicing. If there has been past trouble with termites or ants, having a pest inspection and treatment is a good proactive move.

Buyers will overestimate a repair to be 5 times its actual cost

If a repair will cost you $1,000 the buyer will think $5,000 or more. So for every $1,000 you do not spend on needed repairs, that is equivalent of taking $5,000 off your final sales price. This isn’t about going crazy on rehab, but carefully deciding which repairs will help your home sell faster and for the best possible price.

The good news here is there are options such as Raveis Refresh which helps you make repairs and if necessary, defer paying for those repairs until the home is sold!

2. Refresh your home

Next, let’s look at more at cosmetic repairs or updates such as selectively painting a room, touching up woodwork, replacing any broken light fixtures, and deciding if any out-of-date décor should be updated. A coat of fresh paint does wonders in making a home look updated and new. If any paint inside or outside the home is peeling, now is the time to scrape & paint!

You may want to consider having wood floors refinished. “Gleaming hardwood floors” may sound cliché however they really do impress buyers. Also evaluate if any wall-to-wall carpeting should be replaced or professionally cleaned.

If doing these refreshes are outside your expertise, I can recommend painters and specialists to complete these updates. Better to hire an expert than do a messy job. Again, you may have the option to have the work done now and payments deferred until sale.

3. Declutter and tidy up

This is your moment to embrace the minimalist movement! Make those hard decisions and start to think about what you will really be moving to your new home.

As you go room-to-room do not simply move items to a storage space such as basement, garage or attic. Buyers look at those storage and utility spaces. If these spaces are full of your stored items, your home will look smaller to potential buyers. Now is the time to gift, recycle or donate as best you can. Toss any broken or worn furniture. If you have a lot to get rid of, rent a dumpster or hire 1-800-GOT-JUNK to take it all away for you. Do this while before the crazy deadlines of selling and moving take over.

The more you declutter and tidy, the more updated and larger your home appears to potential buyers. If you will absolutely be taking a lot of extra items to your new home, consider renting a storage unit or pod to get the extra items out of your home. Your items will need moving eventually, so let’s talk about the best way to accomplish the task in the fewest steps and most cost effective way.

Remember, less is more. There is a difference between living in your home and selling your home.

4. Clean Absolutely Everything.

Inside: Deep clean every room, floor, closet, light fixture, light bulbs, bathrooms. Clean the top of cabinets and the refrigerator. Clean the oven. Clean every appliance. While you are at, remove everything off your counters except the coffee maker (I’m not a monster!). Remove extra floor rugs to show off hardwood floors. Wash windows inside and out and clean the window wells. Polish the furniture.

Storage and utility areas: Yes, these need cleaning too. Vacuum or sweep the basement, garage or attic. Wash shelving, Dust off heating systems, and vacuum or dust the ceilings and plumbing overhead. Consider a fresh coat of paint on concrete floors or walls. You can even paint paneling to brighten a 1970’s rec room!

Outside: A good yard cleanup is in order. Toss any old garden equipment or broken lawn furniture, clean the outside lights, remove or replace any old garden hoses. Recommend taking on garden cleanup, pruning, edging and adding mulch. Consider having any decks cleaned and stained or painted if applicable.

When all of this is done, your home will not only look amazing, it will smell fantastic!

5. Finally, let’s talk about staging

At this point your home is market ready! Most of the time a decluttered and clean home is enough. A spotless, well-maintained vacant home will sell faster than a staged, less-market ready home.

That said, there are some rooms that can benefit from staging . These include rooms where the size and shape make it hard to visualize the room’s potential and use. You also might want to stage the welcoming spaces - the first thing buyers see upon entering - selectively staging a front porch or the first room upon entering the home really can make a different. Also if the master bedroom is over or undersized, placing a bed and a couple of items can help buyers see that their furniture will work in that space. .

I know the market preparation can sound like a lot. It is. This is good old-fashion work and the sooner you start before entering your home into the real estate market, the better.

As your real estate agent, I can help you early on and prepare a complete market preparation checklist for you. We can then determine a timeline and a path for your success! Give me a call and I’m happy to help!

Should I hire a Home Stager?