I will do my best to make this not a super long, novel style post.

There are so many things that you can do to prepare your home for the market but we are going to focus on the top most critical items.

Ready…set…here we go!

Walk through your home and see if you can pretend to be a potential buyer. Are there too many personal items everywhere? Can someone else picture your home as theirs?
After walking through the house, how does it “ Flow”? Can you move furniture around so that you can move more freely through the house?
Make as many trips to the Goodwill/ Salvation Army as possible. Clear as much clutter as possible. You are also helping someone in the process by giving them much needed items.
Start to make a list of any and all improvements you have made to your property since ownership.
Go back over your heating and electric bills and note what your last 12 months of running costs were.
Do you have any contractors that have helped you over the years with your house? Or perhaps a neighbor that has been mowing your lawn that might want to keep the job? Create a list of anyone who might be able to continue to help with the house. It’s a win win as it helps the future owners and keeps the work going for whoever might be on that list.
What needs touch up paint? Always try to stay with neutral/ earth tones. Just because I love yellow doesn’t mean everyone does. Not everyone can visualize so try and make it easy for potential buyers to love the feel of each room.
Call your listing agent to come by and go over what they might have to add to your “ To Do” list. If you have not selected an agent yet, ask your friends and family for a personal referral. This is the best way to get a top notch agent!
Lastly, make a list of all of the above. Add notes for how long each will take and a timeline of when each will be completed.

Another great preparation task is to decide on your timeline. When would you like your home sold by? Given the intense market , would you be prepared to move in less than 30 days if you had a cash offer in hand? Think about if there might be a temporary place for you to stay if it’s just an offer you can’t refuse.

With that said, in a seller’s market often the seller can really make the requests for the timelines. If you need to find suitable housing prior to closing, be sure to mention this to your agent. They can write that into the contract and go over the pros and cons of having that as a condition.

As always, you can reach out to me anytime with questions or comments.

Happy home prepping !

Tanya

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
– Abraham Lincoln