Comprehensive Home Seller List

Focus on curb appeal

When a potential buyer tours your home, the first thing they will see is the exterior. Before listing your home on the market, spend some time making upgrades that will improve the curb appeal of your house.

Adding curb appeal can be easy and budget-friendly. Here are a few suggestions:

o Paint the front door

o Replace mailbox

o Power wash the windows

o Power wash the exterior and external fixtures (decks, patios)

o Plant flowers or bushes, freshen mulch

o Repave/reseal the front walkway and or driveway

Prepare the interior

o Declutter- Organized chaos is not helpful for buyers who want to envision themselves living there. Remove personal items like photos and crafts.

o Clean- Everything, then do it again! Upholstery, carpets, windows, vents, baseboards, appliances, walls, door frames and handles etc.

o Paint- Touch up or paint as necessary, bold colors should be replaced with neutral tones.

o Prepack- Anything you can live without. Less is better.

o Repair- handles, doors that don’t close, laminate that is loose, re caulk as needed, replace outlet and switch cover that are broken.

o Hide- All items of value and which contain personal information.

o Add- Plants. Live plants will help keep the air clean and add an warm, inviting feeling

Hire a stager

A stager will choose furniture pieces and decor to elevate the style of your home based on current trends that buyers are looking for. Staging your home comes at a cost, but it may be the key to selling your home faster or for more money. Your real estate agent might recommend someone they usually work with.

Things to do while your home is listed

o Communicate with your real estate agent

o Keep your home clean (if you’re living there)

o Hire an independent Inspector to perform a Move-In Certification.

This will avoid any potential surprises and opportunities for the buyer to reduce the offer. The buyer is going to get an inspection anyway. Why not be a step ahead.

Once your home is officially listed on the MLS and potential buyers are starting to tour the house, it’s important to keep in contact with your real estate agent. Keep an open line of communication and talk regularly to discuss things like price changes, new marketing tactics and other strategies that could help the house sell more quickly.

.

Things to do after accepting an offer

Address due diligence repairs

It’s common for a buyer to only agree to purchase your home after certain contingencies are met or repairs made. For example, you might agree to replace broken appliances or fix a section of the roof that’s damaged. Before you officially close on the house, you must make these repairs, which are outlined in the purchase agreement. If you don’t make the agreed-upon repairs, the buyer has legal grounds to walk away from the deal.

Start packing your things

If you’re still living in the home, now is the time to start packing your belongings. The closing process generally takes anywhere from 30 to 50 days, so you have a good amount of time to pack and organize before you need to be out of the house. In addition, you and the buyer might agree to a specific move-out date depending on your respective residential situations. However, it’s usually better to start packing sooner than later so you can prepare for closing.

Things to do for closing

o Get your documents together

o Hire a cleaning crew

o Do a final walk-through

o Shut off the utilities

When you attend the closing, you’ll probably be asked to bring some house-related documentation (in addition to the keys). Here are some of the documents you should be prepared with:

o Documentation confirming repairs were made

o Garage door openers and codes

o Cashier’s check (if you are paying for a portion of the buyer’s closing costs)

o Utility bills

o Property tax documents

o Warranties for home appliances or home warranty

o Instructions for operating smart home or security systems

o Hire a cleaning crew

o Have final walk-through

o Shut off /transfer Utilities

Congratulations!