Home Seller’s Checklist
Home Seller’s Checklist
General staging for success
Simple preparation can make a big difference in presenting your home in the best possible light for a sale. As a rule of thumb, a decluttered house will make the home much more inviting the the average buyer. Achieve great results by doing a few simple things that costs little to no cost. Clean the entire house and deep clean carpets, vacuum, sweep, and dust fan blades. Repaint walls with bold paint colors or uneven colors with light neutral colors. Fix broken items around the house. Remove personal items, knickknacks, and store away excess photos while keeping space to minimum. Clean windows and replace old lightbulbs with instant on, instant bright bulbs.
Kitchen and bath staging
For the kitchen, remove everything from the kitchen counters and leave only staged plants or a decorative fruit bowl. Remove magnets, papers, and pictures from your refrigerator. Remove all area rugs near the sink, refrigerator, or stove areas.
For the bath, remove all area rugs and remove all toiletries from the tub and shower area. Remove bath towels that are worn and keep colors white or light and neutral in tone.
Outdoor curb appeal matters
Curb appeal is one of the most important factors that can make or break a buyer’s first impressions. Therefore, mow the lawn and remove any visible weeds. Clean up fallen leaves, branches, debris, hoses, and other items from the yard. Trim bushes and shrubbery around the house. Power wash or use a hose to clean your driveway, deck, patio, fences, windows, and walkways. In addition, assess whether or not your front doors and trim need repainting. Remember, first impressions are important, and what a buyer sees and feels as they approach your front door could mean the difference between a sale or not.
If you have pets
While your pets are accepted as loving members of your family without a second thought, many buyers do not have pets or might have allergic or medical reactions to the presence of allergens or other factors. Remove food/water bowls and any litter boxes out of sight and use odor eliminator to remove pet odors. These small changes will remove potential distractions from an otherwise perfect home for a new buyer.
