I love working alongside my seller clients to help them prepare their homes for the market! In this video, I’m interviewed by my friend and colleague Marguerite Martin. I walk viewers through each step of my home prep process so you’ll know exactly what to expect when you meet with me for the first time!
If you’re getting ready to sell your home (or if you’re still just thinking about it), this conversation is an important one to watch:
Here are a few important takeaways that I share in the video:
- You need to figure out the timeline for selling your home.
Knowing your timeline will help determine a lot of the home preparation process. What date do you need to sell your home by? How will you meet that deadline? I work through each step of the process right by your side to guide you to the finish line.
- It can be stressful to prepare your home for sale, so you need to work with an experienced REALTOR® you trust.
When I begin working with new clients, first I want to meet you and make sure that we both have a good rapport. It can be nerve-wracking having someone come into your home to evaluate it, and I really want to set your mind at ease and make sure you’re comfortable. I’ll walk through your house with my handy checklist, and make note of everything from the floors to the walls to the ceilings. During this initial walk-through, I also make sure to get a good sense of what work might need to be done before listing day.
- Be proactive about anticipating problems that could derail your transaction.
When I’m helping my seller clients prepare their home to sell, I want to make sure you get ahead of any problems that could get in the way of a successful sale.
One big thing to pay attention to is your roof. Do you know the age of your roof? When was your roof last cleaned? I strongly recommend that you get a roofing company out to take a look at things. You want to make sure that your roof has at least 5 years left in its life; many lenders aren’t even lending on a home that has a roof with less than 5 years of life left. As a result, if you don’t get your roof situation sorted out, it’s going to drastically reduce the pool of potential buyers you have for your home since you’ll have to find someone who doesn’t need a loan from a bank (which is not many people!).
It’s also crucial that you have someone assess your attic space and crawlspace. You definitely want to make sure there are no pests or rodents, and problems in these areas can also derail your home sale. Get this taken care of ahead of time so it’s smooth sailing when you get a home inspection!
- Avoid doing any renovations until you’ve consulted with an agent who has selling expertise.
Many people might think they need to do a big, expensive kitchen renovation in order to sell their home, but this might not be the case. You might be able to get the same amount of money for your home with just a few cosmetic upgrades!
An experienced seller’s agent will be able to advise you on this—they’ll know what buyers in your specific neighborhood, home type, and price point are looking for, and they will be able to give you the best advice on which upgrades will be worth your time and money.
- Clean and stage your home in a way that’s appealing to buyers.
A staged home is very different from how most of us live, and your REALTOR® should understand that. I work with my clients to identify what can be removed from the home to make it less cluttered, and I will typically recommend that people rent a storage space to move some of their stuff into. You’re going to be packing and moving anyway, so you can get a headstart while making your home more appealing to buyers.
In the video above, I offer several smart and savvy tips for cleaning, decluttering, and staging your home, but don’t worry—you don’t have to remember it all when you work me me. I’m ready to guide you through the process.
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The most important thing in preparing your home to sell is making sure that you give yourself enough time to manage the process.
If you’d like to learn more about the selling process, REALTOR® Sharon Chambers-Gordon would love to chat! You can reach out to her here. You can also follow Sharon on Facebook and Instagram.
