Selling your home may feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. You can make a great impression with buyers and whip your house into shape, getting your home ready to sell without breaking the bank. By putting in a little effort before you list your home, you can save yourself hours of time and avoid pitfalls down the road.
Wondering how to get your house ready to sell? First, before you list your home, it’s smart to connect with a top-performing agent in your area. Seasoned agents can help you check all the boxes and sell your home quickly.
Also, if you have any flexibility in your selling schedule, it’s a good idea to time your home sale to line up with seasonal demand in your local market. Before you sell, check out HomeLight’s best time to sell calculator. It will show you the best time to sell your property for the highest value. Once you’ve taken care of those two important items, follow our checklist below for 9 must-do steps to getting your home ready to sell.
Get Your Home in Top Shape to Sell with a Top Agent
One of the most important aspects of getting your home ready to sell is getting your team in place, and having a top agent on your side can help sell your home fast and for more money.
It takes just two minutes to match clients with the best real estate agents in your area, who will contact you and guide you through the process. To connect with an agent, simply tell us a little bit about your property and how soon you’re looking to sell.
How to get your house ready to sell
With a few preparations, you can set up your home to dazzle onlookers and fly off the market. Here are the 9 simple steps to getting your home ready to sell:
1. Complete a pre-sale inspection
When unexpected issues pop up during your inspection, it can drag out your home sale. A recent Confidence Index by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) found that contract terminations held steady at 5%, delayed settlements affected 13% of contracts, and appraisal issues delayed 7% of contracts. Home inspection problems can definitely slow things down and even derail sales since they complicate negotiations. To stay ahead of any issues and speed up your home sale, consider getting a pre-sale inspection.
When you get a pre-sale inspection, a pro checks out your home before it hits the market. This lets you tackle any issues early and avoid last-minute surprises that could slow down your sale. As you make updates, be sure you cover these common issues that come up during home inspections:
- Dirty air filters in HVAC systems
- Signs of pest infestations
- Plumbing clogs
- Cracked windows or broken screens
- Broken appliances
- Water stains on ceilings
- Leaky faucets
Even if you don’t have months to prepare, it is possible to make some quick, inexpensive, upgrades to get your house ready for listing. By focusing on the areas with the highest impact and visibility, you can give your property an edge over the competition without going over your budget.
2. Set the perfect price for your home
Your home’s listing price can be the difference between selling fast and watching your home sale drag on for months. It sets the tone for a sale right away. If the price is too low, you may end up losing profit you otherwise would be pocketing. Set it too high, and your home could end up sitting on the market untouched. That’s why it’s so critical to set the perfect sale price as you’re getting ready to sell your home.
Not sure how to nail down your sale price? Getting a top agent on board can help you set a pricing strategy that fits your goals. They can also provide valuable advice on market conditions and what buyers are looking for.
You can also get a head start by checking your home’s value before listing it. HomeLight’s home value estimator gives you a quick and accurate idea of what your home is worth with just a few clicks. Here are a few things that can lower your home’s value to watch out for:
- Damaged roof
- Poor workmanship
- Noisy spaces
- Outdated rooms
- Deferred maintenance
3. Tackle those neglected weekend maintenance projects
You probably have some projects on your to-do list that you haven’t gotten around to yet. As you’re getting your home ready to sell, it’s important to complete these tasks. They help paint a complete picture of your home for buyers. If someone notices even minor repairs that still need attention, they might wonder if there are more issues lurking, which could hurt your sale.
As you get your house ready for a sale, take care of any repairs, big or small, before a home inspector or appraiser finds them. All of those little annoyances you’ve grown accustomed to — like the leaky kitchen faucet, the squeaky door hinges, or the broken refrigerator drawer — could lead buyers to assume that the rest of the house hasn’t been well-maintained.
“This will save you money because you won’t have to pay the appraiser to come do a reinspection of your repairs,” points out Angela B. Miller, an appraiser with Miller Appraisals in Chesapeake, Virginia.
4. Deep clean your home
If your house isn’t clean and attractive, it could turn off buyers or deflate your home’s final sale price. That’s why it is essential to give the entire house a thorough cleaning as you get it ready to sell. Connie Taylor, a top real estate agent based in Amarillo, Texas, suggests tackling one room at a time to make it more manageable.
As you deep clean, be sure to pay special attention to the hotspots that tend to get a lot of eyeballs during showings. That includes these critical areas:
- Carpets
- Windows
- Kitchens
- Bathrooms
- Doors and walls
- Baseboards
5. Declutter and depersonalize your home for buyers
As you’re getting your home ready to sell, it’s important to remove clutter and put away personal items. Marty Basher, an organization expert with Modular Closets, explains, “You want prospective buyers to see the space; not your stuff.”
According to Basher, your plan should be to clean up, depersonalize spaces, and create a blank canvas, so your buyer can easily see themselves living in your home after the sale. “The goal is to get rid of all the junk that prevents someone from truly seeing the spaces within the house,” Basher says. “If there is clutter everywhere, it will be difficult for a buyer to visualize their own furniture and décor, and how they might use the spaces.”
When it comes time to get your home ready for a sale, you can declutter by traveling room by room and tidying up spaces. Here are a few tips to help you organize and depersonalize your house before you sell:
- Consider renting a storage unit
- Remove expired food and wipe away messes in your fridge
- Tidy up your pantry and kitchen cabinets
- Clean and organize your closets
- Clear floor spaces
- Store less-used items in plastic totes
- Hang shoes on the door with shoe racks
- Use fabric storage cubes to hold scarves, hair tools, and other small items
- Hide messy cords
- Remove any traces of your pets
6. Swap out old light fixtures and brighten spaces
Upgrading your light fixtures is a quick, affordable way to get your home ready to sell. “This is a super simple and very effective way to add value to a home and attract buyers,” notes Andrea Walker, a certified professional organizer in New Jersey. “Replacing a dated chandelier in a dining room with a more modern fixture will immediately improve the appearance of the space, even if the furnishings are dated.”
There are a few simple ways to improve lighting in your home:
Remove dust from existing light fixtures
To enhance lighting, dust fixtures weekly with an extendable duster to prevent build-up. For deep cleanings of glass-encased fixtures, carefully remove the glass, dump out any debris and dead bugs, and soak the glass in a bucket or sink full of warm, soapy water.
Check and replace your lightbulbs
Go on a lighting audit to make sure all of the bulbs in the house are working and that the bulbs match in each individual light fixture. Also, check the color temperature of your lightbulbs. Most home staging experts recommend using warmer shades of light.
Also, make sure the foyer entry light fixture is fresh and modern. This will set the tone for the rest of the house tour. Walker recommends visiting a big-box home improvement retailer or checking online for inexpensive, but stylish, light fixtures.
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