One of the questions we are asked the most is what you should do to prepare your home for selling. We asked our expert agents and professional home stager at Martin Realty Group and compiled a list. A properly prepared home will sell quicker and could even sell for more money.  When you sell with us, your agent will walk through your home with you to make suggestions. However, if you are trying to get a head start on the preparation, here’s a great place to begin…

We have broken down the list of preparing to sell your home into four simple categories, including:

1. Depersonalize and declutter (purge and prepack)
2. Clean (deodorize and maintain)
3. Repair (major and minor)
4. Stage (neutralize)

As you work from the outside to the inside and through each room in the home to accomplish the four categories, here is a more detailed and thorough checklist…

First on the list:  depersonalize and declutter (purge and prepack). This will help neutralize and make your space and storage seem larger. You’re going to have to pack anyway, so why not start now?

• Go through every room and closet.
• Donate or trash any items you won’t use again.
• Pack nonessentials, anything you won’t use in the next 30 days, including clothes and shoes.
• Keep clothing, laundry, and shoes in the closets, which should be half empty, organized, and neat.
• Keep personal items of value and items with personal information hidden and locked in a safe place.
• Prepack and store all personal photos, pet items, children’s decor, toys and stuffed animals, and bulky furniture. This includes any bold-colored, themed, or damaged and visibly worn bedding, curtains, furnishings, and furniture. Professional stager Jessica Johnson recommends throwing a neutral comforter over children's bedding. Consider repainting bold or unusual colored walls.
• Limit the number of toys and stuffed animals so they can be hidden in one decorative basket. For additional helpful tips on showing and selling your home with kids, please visit our previous blog: Showing and Selling Your Home with Kids.
• In the kitchen, clear everything off the counters (including countertop appliances, cleaning supplies, candles, and utensils). Keep the refrigerator clear of all items (remove items from on and above the refrigerator, including magnets, pictures, kids’ artwork, and calendars).
• Bathroom counters should also be completely cleared off (to include soaps, lotions, shampoos). Prepack and purge stained towels and all bathroom floor rugs. Hide toothbrushes and daily use items under the sink or in a basket.
• We also recommend renting a storage space for your prepacked items, and extra furnishings and furniture. 

The second item on the list is to clean, deodorize, and maintain your home, inside and out. If cleaning is not your strong suit or you are low on time, contact us for a recommendation to hire a professional cleaner! Deep clean everything from top to bottom. Then, maintain by keeping everything tidy and clean on a daily basis. Don’t miss cleaning these items:

• Start outdoors. Tidy and maintain the exterior and curb appeal because the first impression is crucial! Clean up your landscaping: lay fresh mulch, mow, trim the grass, shrubs, and trees, gather and throw away fallen leaves and weeds, plant flowers, and ensure there is no trash or junk gathered anywhere. We have excellent recommendations for landscaping and lawn care professionals to help you as well.
• Clean the exterior windows, porches, patios, patio furniture, barbeque, and other areas.
• Touch up exterior paint.
• Put outside toys away and clean up after your pet.
• Heading indoors, clean windows, window sills, blinds, floors, baseboards, corners (spiderwebs), appliances, vents, and pet hair. If a Magic Eraser doesn’t take away scuff marks, touch up the interior paint.
• Deodorize and make your home smell nice and clean. Besides the traditional thought of baking cookies, check out some of these great ways to make your home smell amazing: Make Your Home Smell Good.
• Be sure all lights are working, inside and outside. Keep extra light bulbs on hand.
• Kitchen and bathrooms – keep sinks, faucets, counters, appliances, toilets, tubs, and showers clean and shiny. 
• Keep all floors clean, stain and scuff-free, and consider having carpets professionally cleaned.
• Keep bedrooms picked up and beds made every day. 

The third listed item is to make repairs (major and minor). Contact us for a list of recommended contractors and handymen who can help. 

• Repairing leaky faucets and toilets, heating and air conditioning units, and even oiling squeaky door hinges makes a difference! 

Fourth and last on the list, stage the home. You want to neutralize while creating a warm and welcoming environment to appeal to as many people as possible. A properly staged home helps buyers imagine themselves living in the space, brings out the most appealing features of the home and leaves a lasting impression. Further, staged homes sell 79% faster and for 17% more.

• If you work with our brokerage, we have agents who will make recommendations, help stage, and we even have an amazing professional stager we highly recommend: Staged by Jessica Johnson.

Selling and preparing your home may seem overwhelming; however, when you partner with Martin Realty Group and follow our detailed checklist covering the four main areas of preparing your home to sell, we help make it a less stressful situation. With following these tips demonstrating you have a well-maintained home, you are likely to sell more quickly for top value. Curious what your home is worth? Find out for free right now: Free Home Market Analysis and contact us to see if now is the right time for you to sell.

Photo credits:  Miller Rendering & Photography, and Jessica Johnson
Staging:  Staged by Jessica Johnson