How do I get my house ready to sell?

By Reid Boles, Realtor

How much time will it take to have my house ready for market?

This is one of the most common concerns I hear from sellers.

If you are a Type A personality and keep an extremely well-kept home that is decluttered, clean and with modern décor, impeccable maintenance, and perfect landscaping, then let's be honest, this article is not for you.

If you’re not this person (most people aren’t), then the answer is to give yourself a couple months to prepare. This way you won’t feel rushed or stressed. 

In all my years selling real estate, I can comfortably say that most people will need to do all the following steps to prepare their home. Again, there are people who maintain perfect homes, and some people keep up better in certain areas than in others, but most of us will need to tackle pretty much this whole list. When in doubt about whether something needs to be done, try to put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and ask yourself: If I was buying this home, would I notice this? If yes, then put it on your list.

But what if selling your house comes up unexpectedly—for example, you found your dream house and need to get your current house to market ASAP and don’t have months to prepare? In that case, the first thing is to have me over. We will walk through the house room by room to make a game plan to be market ready with the amount of time available.

Step 1: Declutter & Store

Buyers need to be able to see your home and walk through your home with ease! For example, if you have a bookshelf, we recommend it only being 25% full, so the buyers see the house and not the full bookshelf. Your closets should have at least 25% empty space so they look bigger.  Surfaces should be clear free of clutter; kitchen counters should have next to nothing on them. This allows for staging items and looks much cleaner in photos.

Although garages and unfinished basements are a great place to hide items, the same 25% rule applies to the garage and storage areas—if they are bursting at the seams, it makes the house feel smaller. If decluttering results in a lot of extra stuff, you may need to look at temporary storage.

Step 2: Clean like you have never cleaned before

Buyers want to see that you take good care of your home, and they don’t need to see what brand toothpaste, shampoo or razor you use. Walls, mirrors, cabinets, furniture and floors need to be sparkling. Closets need to be tidy and organized. Washing windows and walls makes a huge difference and is well worth the effort. Remember the exterior as well.

Cleaning is a very cost-effective way to give your home a major face lift -- often for free, with just a bit of elbow grease. The house will need to stay this way until an offer is accepted. 

Step 3: Make sure everything works 

As you clean your home, be sure all light bulbs, door handles, appliances, light switches, and anything mechanical works. This is a good time to change your furnace filter for any possible upcoming home inspections or buyers that will be walking thought the home with a sharp eye. If you have any overdue maintenance tasks, this is the time to take care of them. If a buyer can touch it, it better work! 

Step 4: Paint  

I don’t know what your house looks like, but with my two growing boys the bottom four feet of my walls has taken a beating!  Many of the marks can be taken care of with a magic eraser but high traffic areas like play areas, hallways, exterior doors almost always need a bit of paint, which is a cost-effective way for a space to feel new with minimal work. If you don’t know how to paint, I encourage you to try, but if not, hire someone and try have it wrapped up 1-2 weeks before showings.

Step 5: Personalized Assessment

Every home has its own story, and generic To-Do lists can only go so far.  The best advice I can give you is in person, in your home.

Don’t hesitate to call when you are still a few months ahead of wanting to list—in fact, that’s what I prefer! Pressure is an easy way to feel overwhelmed, so it is best to start sooner rather than later.

Definitely call before you spend any significant money on renovations or updates that you’re doing for the purpose of selling. You should never spend significant money on preparing your home for sale without an opinion about whether its needed and on your design choices from an active experienced realtor in touch with today’s buyers. 

 When you call me, we’ll start by making an individualized game plan about the and give yourself the time to make the necessary changes.

Often, it's not as much work as you think, but one of the easiest ways to look at it is to ask yourself; If I was buying my home, what would I like to see and feel as I walk though my possible new home.  

Ready to start prepping your home in the Winnipeg area for sale? Call me to book an appointment now!