Market Preparation: What To Do Before Putting Your House on the Market

Market Preparation: What To Do Before Putting Your House on the Market

Making the decision to sell your house is a big one. But now that you’ve taken care of the decision-making process, it’s time to get your house market-ready and looking fabulous! Here are two checklists you’ll want to follow for preparing both the exterior and interior of your home to sell.

Exterior To-Do List:

• Remove clutter from your yard- If you have outdoor equipment, toys, or anything really besides patio furniture, you’ll want to store it or get rid of it altogether. Tacky lawn gnomes or any personal-style items from your yard should also be removed. You may even want to drive by your house to get a look from a buyer’s perspective. 

• Update/fix lighting and doors- Adding a new doorknob or making repairs and adding new bulbs to any light fixtures outside will add to your curb appeal. Buyers will often drive by your house at night, which is recommended by the way, and you’ll want to ensure your house looks good and is literally highlighted with your nighttime lighting. Adding a few solar lights along a pathway or driveway can be an easy way to give an upgraded, more enticing look, too. 

• Replace/repair windows and roof- Check your window screens and your roof for loose or damaged shingles– if you’ve been keeping up with our monthly checklists, you shouldn’t have a problem here, but a new roof is often voted the best value each year in the remodeling industry. Adding fresh caulking or sealing windows should be done as well.

• Clean gutters and HVAC units- Essential home features like your heating and air conditioning units should be in good condition and inspected yearly as well, but cleaning everything and ensuring your units have had that tune-up is a mandatory task. A bad or old A/C unit could be a BIG turn-off or even a deal-breaker to some buyers. Remove any debris from your gutters, too. 

• Wash your windows and powerwash your house and driveway- Having your windows professionally washed on the outside and power-washing your exterior is a must. You want your house to shine, or, at the very least, be clean and dirt-free. Mold, mildew, and stains may need a little extra attention and you can use a concrete cleaner if necessary. 

• Sweep/shovel your driveway and update your curb appeal- While you’re driving by your house, you will want to make any mental notes of flower beds in need of attention and lawn care that is needed. You’ll want to get bushes and trees trimmed, get that edger out, and ensure your yard looks appealing, as well as any driveway maintenance. Adding a fresh coat of paint to your mailbox, house numbers, and front door can go a long way, too. Everything should be clean and you can add some fresh flowers to give a pop of color, but be weary of doing too much. Buyers might be turned off if maintenance or landscaping looks too complicated. Think, nice, but not nice enough to require employing a golf course maintenance crew.

Interior To-Do List:

• Purge, baby, purge!- This one is obvious, and it’ll help you prepare to move as well (so, yay for that whole two birds, one stone thing!), but you’ll want to get rid of any and all clutter and donate what you don’t use anymore. 

• Fix all of the little things- Tightening loose door knobs, cabinets, leaky faucets, and fixing all of the “little things,” can make a huge impression and have a big pay-off. 

• Update your lighting- Having energy-efficient lights and opening windows for more natural light can make a huge difference as well. You want to wash all of your windows, frames, and sills on the inside, too, and provide as much natural lighting as you can. Lighting is the most effective way to set a mood in your home. 

• Give your home a fresh coat of paint- Painting your home a neutral, light color can help open it up and give your home a fresh feeling as well. If you have any bold color choices, it might be a huge turnoff. Even your adorable nursery or esteemed “man cave” may not jive with the rest of your house and could dissuade potential buyers. You want to strive for cohesion in your interior. 

• Shampoo the carpets and mop your hard flooring- Giving your home an overall fresh, clean feeling is vital. If a great steam cleaning of the carpets doesn’t do the trick, then spending a few extra bucks on new carpeting will. Upgraded flooring adds a lot of value to your home as well, but if that’s not in your budget, a good scrubbing on tile and hardwood floors should suffice. Additionally, if you have pets, you should not be able to tell. Remove all evidence of pets, and schedule a local boarding facility or arrange for sitters during open houses, so your loved four-legged family members can be safe and your place will smell clean for big showing days. Installing air purifiers and fresheners isn’t a bad idea either to ensure your home makes a great impression– just don’t go overboard and stick to fresh, light scents.

• Remove personal decor- Take down those baby pictures, wedding photographs, and anything that reveals too much about who you are. When your potential buyers are in your house, they need to be able to picture themselves in it. And their first impression means a lot! You may even want to have your home professionally staged, as statistics show staged homes sell fast and for more money! We just happen to know some amazing stagers at East & Ivy Staging as well. For more on that, check out our previous blog, detailing all of the advantages of having your home staged. 

Finally, you’ll want to have the best team in the business for your selling needs. If you’re looking to put your house on the market, but you don’t have a realtor yet, please reach out. The list above is a generic list, but our team will come to your home and give you a comprehensive list of what needs to be done specific to your home.