Get Your Home Ready To Sell: A Checklist

How Can I Get My Home Ready For Sale? 

Deciding to sell is a big decision. It can simply feel like too much to take on! However, selling your current house or condo is necessary before you can find your next ideal home. With some professional guidance and yes, some work, you can prepare your home to sell.

Here is a Checklist for Getting Your Home Ready To Sell:

Starting Points: Declutter & Organize 

• Whose Home is it Anyway: Buyers have a hard time looking past personal photos and excess stuff. Make it as blank of a canvas as possible so they can picture themselves living there- not you. 

• 3 Piles: Start by finding a place in your home to make three sections: Keep, Donate, Trash. Consider using coloured bins for each, or colour coded labels/tape. Then get to work organizing. It can potentially be an emotional and time consuming process, so set aside a good amount of time at the beginning to do this. Once it’s over, the rest can happen more easily. (Remember it will all be worth it when you move to your new home)!

• Donate and Trash first. Then, take what you filed under “Keep” and pack it for moving. You might want to rent a storage bin or locker during the selling and moving process. It will be much easier to prepare the home for sale with bulky items and excess boxes out of the way.

• Clean out closets and storage areas. Buyers open EVERYTHING. You can’t pull that old trick you tried on your parents in your teen years (hello clean room...uh-oh, closet avalanche)! Display a few stylish pieces to show how the storage areas could be used, while still keeping them looking as big as possible.  

Mid Points: Room by Room "To Do’s”

Make a list first, then get to it room by room. It’s a good idea to have your Realtor advise you about what should be done with your specific property first. 

These are some small things that will actually make a big difference:

• PAINT! A fresh coat in a light neutral colour instantly freshens up your home. 
• CLEAN! Hiring a professional is a very good idea. Clean carpets and floors. Clean windows too. 
• Replace dated light fixtures. (New ones can be very affordable and look great)!  
• Select artwork that will appeal to most people (such as modern art in colours that go with your paint and decor) in each room.
• Repair loose tiles, cap off wiring, fill in cracks and holes from nails, and other minor fixes. Again, a real estate agent can point out fixes worth doing. Then, begin the rest...

• Entryway: Get rid of all your coats and shoes. In a hallway, have just a runner table with flowers or a simple decor item.

• Living Room: Replace badly damaged baseboards/trim. Consider refinishing floors. Remove or replace dated window treatments. Remove nearly everything except staged furniture, a stylish area rug with complementary pillows, and select decor items. 

• Kitchen: Clean inside cabinets too, remove dishes except for a few choice display dishes. If it’s in your budget, think about replacing appliances with stainless steel ones. Consider replacing dated hardware and faucets, and re-grouting old tile. 

• Dining Room: This room is simple to stage, but effective at creating a vision of lifestyle for the buyer. Have a non-bulky table and chairs. Remove excess furniture. Place a flower arrangement, fruit bowl, or simply arranged tableware on the dining table. Make sure the light fixture in here is attractive. 

• Bathrooms: Re-grout tile here too (bathtub included). Consider adding a contemporary vanity in a smaller size (pedestal sinks make bathrooms look bigger). Remove stuff except decor items (candles, fancy soaps, and white towels are nice in bathrooms). Clean until everything shines. Replace towels, mats, and shower curtains with neutral ones that go together.

• Bedrooms: Replace dated window treatments (simple white/somewhat transparent curtains add a fresh look without bulk). Use a light coloured duvet, a throw at the end of the bed, and decorative pillows that go with it. Remove bulky furniture and all clutter on surfaces/shelves except decor items. 

• Remember the Outside: From photos to first impressions it can really sell a lot of buyers on a home- and do the opposite if it looks bad! 

 —> Make your backyard an oasis. Get rid of branches and leaves. Depending on the season, plant flowers in your garden in advance or place potted flowers/plants in front and back. Stage a table with chairs and a centrepiece (maybe a colourful pitcher and glasses set to make buyers imagine summer parties)! 

 —> On a porch, place a couple of chairs with a small table. Place flowers on the table. Add a charming welcome mat, wreath, or paint the door in a  bright colour. Consider power washing the exterior (garage too) and patio stones. **Note: The front exterior especially is an important first impression in-person and in listing photos. Repainting, re-staining decks, and even roof repairs are all definitely worth considering.

Final Points: Last But Not Least

• Hire a Realtor if you haven’t already and get the paperwork you’ll need in order.

• Get professional photos taken.

• Stage each room with neutral and fresh colours that go together, and make every space have a purpose. A stager can help make this vision a reality (See: Is it Worth Staging Your Property?)

• Install high wattage lightbulbs everywhere. Light is very important at making a space feel inviting instead of drab.

• Install scent plug ins, light candles in a subtle scent, and don’t cook anything before an open house (unless you want to bake something that smells delicious)! Like light, scent has a powerful impact (especially bad scents). 

• Add those flowers and plants we mentioned for the exterior and interior. Add backyard staging pieces.

• Clean again! Keep cooking smells to a minimum and keep cleaning during the selling process. You never know when a buyer might suddenly want to come for a walk through!

Now that you have some ideas of where to start, you can chip away at the selling process step by step. Soon it will all be worth it when you sell your home to a buyer who appreciates everything you’ve put into it.

For more selling tips specific to your home, contact The Armstrong Team to chat any time!