Seller Checklist

When selling your home, there are many things that you need to consider from the perspective of the people who will be looking at your home. Most importantly, you want to make sure that potential buyers are seeing the value and worth of your home when they walk through. With that being said, to ensure you are getting the best value for your home, following the checklist below will give potential buyers the best possible impression of your home.

curb appeal

The first thing that buyers will see when arriving for a showing, is the exterior of your home, which makes curb appeal very important. If the initial impression of your home is negative, buyers are less likely to enter your home with an open mind and positive attitude. Simple things like making sure your exterior lighting works, maintaining your yard, and keeping walking paths clear of snow or debris, can start buyers off with a great first impression.

Entering your home

The next impression that buyers will have, is the one they get when entering your home for the first time. Simply put, if you have pets, cooking odors, or mildew smells, you will want to make sure you take care of these various smells. Although keeping these odors from lingering in your home before a showing is important, you do not want to use heavy scented candles or plug in odor eliminators. Everyone is different, which means some people may be sensitive to certain smells or wonder what the scented item is covering up. If you are worried about the smell of your home, explore options for eliminating the odors, rather than covering them up. When in doubt, bake some fresh cookies and allow that smell to fill your home as buyers enter for their showing.

neutral paint

If you are looking for a simple, inexpensive way to give your home a new look, try painting rooms in your home. Choosing a color to paint your home is important, make sure you are choosing a neutral color so buyers can see their items in your home without the thought of needing to paint when they move in. When choosing to paint your home, make sure to remove any wallpaper, repair holes or cracks, and touch up trim if needed to make it look seamless.

Flooring

Flooring is not always the easiest update to do in your home, but can often be an important one. Go through your home to make sure that you do not have pieces of floor missing or in disrepair. Finish those small projects that might have gotten overlooked so that you have a complete and finished floor. If you have a floor that needs to be polished, make sure to do this prior to showings, giving the floor a glowing and new appearance. This will give your home an overall finished and complete look when buyers are seeing your home for the first time.

clutter and packing

When you are comfortable in your home, it is easy to let things pile up and become cluttered over time. Although this may be normal for you, potential buyers seeing the property will want to envision their items in the home, not yours. Since you are already planning on moving, use this as an excuse to start packing the items you will not need for a while. Pack your off season items, seasonal decorations, and anything in between that will not be needed in the meantime or until you unpack in your new home. By doing this, you will give the impression to potential buyers that your home is larger and could fit all their personal items in spaces your home provides. With a packed closet or linen storage comes the impression of a small space, make sure you clean out these places to give the impression they are large and can hold many garments or personal items. If you have a garage or shed, make sure to organize and pack unneeded items to make these spaces look larger and open.

Sparkling clean

When you know there will be a showing, make sure that you have cleaned your home, from top to bottom. Make sure to clean windows, dust furniture, scrub your kitchen, and remove those pesky cobwebs from the corner. Focus on bathrooms and your kitchen since these are two of the most important places in your home that people will want to see. Deep cleaning is important to giving your home the appearance that it is well maintained and has been taken care of during the time that you owned it. If you have light bulbs that are burnt out, plan on changing them when you are cleaning to give your home maximum brightness. Buyers want to know they are getting a home that has been well maintained and taken care of, the way they would maintain and take care of a home.

repair or replace

If there are items in your home such as a loose toilet, missing outlet covers, broken fan, or anything in between, take the time to repair or replace these items. Since your home will most likely be undergoing an inspection by the buyers, repairing or replacing items ahead of time will help avoid issues down the road. Also, make sure that your homes major mechanical items are in good working order. Mechanical items such as your furnace, air conditions, water heater, dishwasher, washer, dryer, and major items like these are well maintained and kept in good condition.