We’ve all heard the nightmare stories from our friends and family that could hardly sell their homes to save their lives.
Whether the market was bad, the buyers couldn’t get financed, or the home inspection scared them away, it just wouldn’t sell. Either way, when you’re selling your home, that’s not the type of support you need.
That’s where we come in. We’re here to tell you that not only can you sell your home, but you can also sell it without all the terrible headaches you hear about in those horror stories.
All you need is a home selling checklist and some dedication.
Keep reading for our perfected checklist (in sequential order) that will help you get your home off your hands as quickly as possible!
Home Selling Checklist
We’ve taken the liberty of putting this list in order for you, so you know exactly what to do and when to do it. Follow this simplified eight-point checklist and watch the magic happen.
1. Hire a Home Inspector
First and foremost on your home selling checklist, you need to hire a home inspector. While this is traditionally done by potential buyers, scheduling the inspection yourself will benefit you in multiple ways.
First, having a home inspection done on your terms will help you avoid any potential surprises for you and potential buyers. These surprises often scare buyers away. It also gives you a chance to take care of any problems before getting your home on the market
Second, having an inspection already done expedites the home selling process. Home inspections are sometimes scheduled weeks out in advance, making you and your potential buyers wait. Also, hiring the inspection yourself shows an act of graciousness and helps buyers see you in a positive light.
2. Declutter and Depersonalize
Second, on your home selling checklist, you need to declutter and depersonalize. If possible, you should move out of your home. It will make it the entire process 10 times easier!
If you can’t move out, rent a storage unit to store your excess stuff or make a load of extra money selling it off.
The main purpose is to make your home feel spacious, open, and neutral. Clutter has been shown to cause anxiety, get rid of it will put you and potential buyers at ease.
Additionally, you want to depersonalize the space by removing any pictures, niche or distasteful artwork, political propaganda, etc. You want to avoid turning buyers off because of your decor.
3. Touch Up and Repair
Once you have the home decluttered and depersonalized, refer back to your home inspection report and start making necessary repairs and updates. These can include damaged drywall, broken fixtures, chipping or peeling paint, etc.
This is also time to figure out what to do about any major repairs red-flagged by the inspection, God forbid you failed it. These red flags could preclude you from selling your home and may be necessary to address before getting your house on the market.
Not everything on an inspection report is a requirement. While some repairs are necessary, many of the items on the list are suggestions.
4. Clean, Then Clean Some More
Now that the repairs are made and things are touched up, its time to start the cleaning process. This may be the most tedious part of the home selling checklist. However, a clean home impresses and comforts potential buyers, whereas a dirty home will quickly turn them off.
Start by sanitizing the kitchen and bathrooms. These rooms carry a “yuck” factor when not cleaned properly and will gross out buyers.
Next, take care of any carpets. They need to be vacuumed and shampooed, if not professionally steam cleaned. Additionally, you need to remove any stains.
Make sure you wipe down all vertical and horizontal surfaces, clean out appliances, and get rid of any signs of pets, including odors.
Basically, you need to deep clean the whole house or pay someone to do it for you.
5. Let There Be Light
Homes full of natural light are inviting, warm, and comfortable. Open up all of your curtains and blinds to let in as much daylight as possible. It will go a long way toward appealing to potential buyers.
If you have rooms that lack natural lighting, make up for it with artificial lights such as lamps or even string LED lights.
No matter what, avoid dark, uninviting rooms.
6. Capitalize on Curb Appeal
Curb appeal is one of the most important aspects of selling a home. The outside of your home is the very first thing buyers will see of your house, and first impressions are very impactful.
Start by making sure all garbage, debris, and excess decor/lawn furniture is gone. Then, start hacking away at overgrown plant life, including weeds, shrubs, grass, and trees.
Finally, if the exterior needs a fresh coat of paint, there’s no better way to make it look fresh and new. It may take a couple of days of work, but a new paint job is a great facelift for your home.
7. Stage the Home
Now, at this point on your home selling checklist, you’re about ready to get the house on the market. However, before you do that, you need to stage your home. We’ve waited this long because you didn’t need to pay for a staged home that wasn’t even on the market yet.
While hiring a professional home stager will set you back a few bucks, studies show that staged homes sell 73% faster. This is why it’s important that you and your stuff is moved out in advance!
8. Get the House on the Market
Finally, in this last step of our home selling checklist, it’s time to hire a realtor (if you haven’t already) and get your house on the market! Your realtor will be able to point out any flaws and provide hints on what else could help your house sell faster.
Then, once it’s on the market, it’s mostly in your realtor’s hands. Congratulations, you made it to the finish line!
Time to Get to Work
Now that you have the home selling checklist before you, it’s time to get to work. You’ve got this!
It may be tedious at times, but selling your home is the number one goal and this checklist will help you get there. To help you get started on step one, you can schedule an inspection right here!
Good luck!