The One With the 'For Sale' Sign
(Selling Your Home - Guide)

First impressions are extremely important when it comes time to sell your house. There are the basics, like making sure the lawn is properly manicured. Beyond that, you can take some steps to inexpensively dress things up.

• Power-wash the home exterior brick, siding, windows, driveway, and front and rear porch, deck, or patio areas.
• Make sure the grass is cut and maintained.
• Keep clutter to a minimum by picking up toys and packing up garden ornaments.
• To give the house a little life and a pop of color, you can paint the front door in a trendy shade if needed.
• Buy potted plants and other things that you can easily take with you when you move.
• Clean the mailbox or replace it if necessary.
• Weed beds and trim back trees and shrubs. Consider fresh mulch.
• If you’re looking to sell your home in the late fall or in the winter, there are still some special things you can do to give your exterior that added boost.

Declutter and organize to wow potential buyers! A clutter-free home lets the house shine, not the excess stuff.

As a fair warning, there’s going to be a lot of stuff your real estate agent or professional stager will tell you to get rid of. There are two reasons for this: first, people want to imagine their stuff, not yours, in the room. Second, removing unnecessary items makes the room seem bigger.

Including:

• Organize and declutter every room
• Remove unnecessary furniture to create a walkable and open area.
• Empty the garage, attic & closets as much as possible to maximize the appearance of storage space.
• Clear countertops except for a few thoughtful, decorative items.
• Remove clothing and coat hangers from closets to maximize space.
• Store jewelry and other valuables in a safe location.
• Remove electronics, especially those with exposed cords.

Depersonalize the space by removing items such as family photos and memorabilia. Potential buyers want to visualize themselves living in your home. They’ll struggle to do this when they’re staring at photos of your family.

• Remove personal items and memorabilia, including family photos, trophies, kids decorations and collectables.
• Remove magnets, photographs, and all items from the refrigerator doors.
• Remove personal products like medicine & hygiene supplies.

When getting a house ready to sell, it’s important to declutter and purge your belongings to clear the house of excess belongings. If you’re willing to rent a temporary storage unit before selling a home, this will give you a safe and secure place to store all of your extra stuff when staging and showing the house.

Storage unit is preferred to storing excess in the garage or basement. Because the cost is usually minimal the returns are easily worth it.

• Consider putting as many things as you can in storage. Fewer items in the house will make the space feel bigger to potential buyers

Do you have pets? You’ll want to remove any signs of them before buyers tour your home. This means removing litter boxes, crates, pet food and pet toys. You’ll also need to take your dogs or cats away when people are touring your home. While we love our pets and they are members of the family. Many buyers will be instantly turned off by the thought of living in a home that has had pets.

You don’t want any weird stains or bad smells dissuading potential buyers. Clean your home thoroughly, especially carpeting that holds stains or odors. You can also hire professionals to clean; this may be the easiest route for tasks such as steaming the carpets.

• Clean all appliances, including the inside of the oven, microwave and refrigerator.
• Clean and organize the pantry to maximize space.
• Thoroughly clean the fireplace and replace old screens.
• Empty trash cans and move them out of sight.
• Use vinegar to remove hard water stains and clean shower heads.
• Make sure your windows are clear and bright, inside and out.
• Remove pet hair from furniture and all surfaces.
• Clean your home to remove pet odor.

According to multiple studies, staging a home really can help it sell faster and for more money. $400 is the average potential return of every $100 you invest in staging your home. Fortunately, staging your home’s interior can be easy and affordable.

It’s important to have your house properly staged for when people walk through. This means arranging your house differently than you might if you were normally living in it. Because you don’t see a ton of houses every day, it can help to hire a professional stager. This is relatively inexpensive, and the person will be able to consult with you about the best way to lay out your space.

• Use coordinated accessories to create coherence.
• Use lamps to increase brightness.
• Replace floral prints and other feminine or masculine items with gender-neutral alternatives.
• Open draperies and blinds to increase natural light.

Go ahead and stock up on light bulbs. When showing your house to potential buyers, all light fixtures and lamps must be turned on. For this reason, it’s important that all lights in your home have working light bulbs.

• Replace any dead or dim light bulbs for brighter ones.
• Replace any bulbs around the exterior of the home.
• Be sure that light bulbs are working and that they’re the proper shade before photographing the space.

Fix any small issues in your house, such as leaks, squeaky hinges, or broken blinds. Walk through your house with a critical eye and write down a list of quick fixes to make before putting your house on the market.

Here are some items to check:

• Are all doors closing properly, including cabinets?
• Patch any cracks or holes in the walls.
• Repair any leaking faucets.
• Replace any blinds that are missing or need repair.
• Are there covers on all the electrical outlets?
• Check the condition of caulk and grout and repair as needed.
• Replace old shower curtains.
• Repair or replace damaged screens.
• Repair any damage caused by pets.
• Thoroughly check the fireplace and replace dated items.

Once you’ve done your research, you can decide what, if anything, you need to renovate. A consult with your real estate agent can help determine what if any upgrades should be made. Although it may vary based on what the market looks like in your area, there are a few overarching generalizations that can be made as a starting point.

Get estimates for any major repairs. You don’t necessarily need to address major repairs before listing your home, but you’ll need to disclose any problems. It’s helpful to have repair estimates ready when a buyer asks questions or attempts to negotiate your listed price.

• Paint the walls. Fresh paint with bright neutral colors such as white, gray or beige to appeal to the largest group of buyers.
• Replace old, stained, or dated carpet.  
• Consider major renovations like Kitchen or Primary Bathroom only if your agent recommends them. 

Avoid over-improving your home – While it’s important to get your house in top condition when listing it, you shouldn’t tackle costly additions and improvements unless they are recommended by your agent. 

You’ll want to gather any documentation on relevant home items that buyers may ask for. These documents can be helpful if buyers want to get a ballpark idea of the ongoing cost or relevant maintenance records. (Note: These documents are typically only provided at the request of the buyer not proactively.)

• You’ll need the deed to your house which will be with the original sales contract from when you purchased the home, but if you’ve misplaced your home’s deed, you can get a copy from your county document recorder’s office.
• Homeowners insurance cost and record
• Property Tax Records
• Utility bills, average monthly cost
• If the home you’re selling is currently part of an HOA, you have additional HOA documents to gather, Including copies of:
  • Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs);
  • The amount and use of monthly association and maintenance fees;
  • Bylaws, rules, and regulations; Recent association meeting notes, financial statements, and budgets;
  • Certification that any major improvements you made to your home were approved by the association;
  • Current and planned special assessments against the property
• Records on upgrades and additions repairs, replacements, or other improvements. etc.
  • Any documentation if you redid the roof
  • Water heater record if you replaced it
  • HVAC records for any upgrades, repair or replacement
  • Records of any Radon Abatement
  • Any permits on renovations if they were required
• Collect any warranties, manuals, and relevant service records if you have them for major appliances that are included with the sale of your home. Appliances, water filtration systems, solar panels, sprinklers, or security systems, etc. 
• Documents for any leased equipment transferred with the property such as solar panels. 

Your agent will arrange for professional phots to be taken. If you’re still living in the house, in order to showcase the home in the best light, take a few steps to prepare for the photographer on photo day:

• Depersonalize your decor by removing family photos and similar items.
• Clear off kitchen and bathroom counters.
• Put shoes and jackets away in closets.
• Make all the beds.
• Remove any pet items.
• Vacuum any carpets.
• Cut the lawn, weed, and remove any lawn decor.