{"id":121432,"date":"2020-01-25T12:00:46","date_gmt":"2020-01-25T19:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/?p=121432"},"modified":"2024-01-15T14:05:23","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T21:05:23","slug":"10-must-dos-listing-house-sale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/10-must-dos-listing-house-sale","title":{"rendered":"10 Must-Dos Before Listing a House for Sale"},"content":{"rendered":"

Selling your house is exciting! It marks the close to an exciting chapter in your life. And it can take months, so many homeowners are ready to get their house on the market and finish the whole process as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t rush to list your house if you\u2019re not ready to sell. Unfinished repairs, neglected maintenance, and a bad first impression can all keep your house on the market for a longer period of time.<\/p>\n

Use these suggestions as a checklist to complete before you list your house for sale. Some are DIY and some require a call to a professional. Either way, they\u2019ll prepare your home and <\/i>you for a quicker close at a higher value.<\/p>\n

1. Take Professional Photos<\/h2>\n

Want to reach more potential buyers? Hire a professional to take photos of your home.<\/p>\n

Want to sell your home faster? Hire a professional to take photos of your home.<\/p>\n

Want to sell your home for more money? You get the picture… (Pun not intended.)<\/p>\n

More and more buyers are heading online to look for homes, and if they aren\u2019t impressed with the photos they see, they\u2019re going to start clicking elsewhere. Home listings with professional photos sell 32 percent faster than homes without them.<\/p>\n

If your home is valued at over $200,000, professional photos could help you sell for up to $11,000 more. Additional buyers will be looking, visiting, and bidding. It\u2019s a fantastic investment in your property.<\/p>\n

\"man<\/p>\n

2. Make Quick Fixes to Boost Curb Appeal<\/h2>\n

First impressions are everything\u2014even when selling a house. What will buyers see first when they walk onto your property?<\/p>\n

Curb appeal can boost a home\u2019s value\u201470 percent of NAR members say that curb appeal is \u201cvery important\u201d to attracting buyers. Simple fixes like adding shrubs, unclogging the gutters, and staging the front porch could make a home memorable before buyers even walk in the door.<\/p>\n

A lot of these quick fixes can be done over the weekend.<\/p>\n

3. Stock Up on Light Bulbs<\/h2>\n

Speaking of quick fixes, put light bulbs on your shopping list. (Many sellers forget this one.) Open houses require all lights to be on throughout the home. Flickering lights are spooky, and lightbulb replacements are an errand that no buyer wants to put on their list.<\/p>\n

Have replacements ready to avoid putting buyers in the dark.<\/p>\n

4. Call a Handyman for Repairs<\/h2>\n

You don\u2019t have to call a professional to screw in a lightbulb. In fact, you can probably check a lot of items off your list if you need to tighten loose handles or change AC filters. But it\u2019s important to assess your entire home for any necessary fixes and then do them.<\/i><\/p>\n

Related: <\/em><\/strong>How to Sell an \u2018Unsellable\u2019 Home<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Clogged gutters, leaky faucets, and squeaky doors only put items on a buyer\u2019s to-do list. Make as many repairs as you can, but don\u2019t hesitate to call in a professional for the rest.<\/p>\n

5. Check to Make Sure You Have All Permits<\/h2>\n

If you did work on your property, you probably needed to get certain permits. If a buyer wants to do some work on your property later, they\u2019ll <\/i>need to get certain permits. Buyers who plan ahead will probably ask you about those permits.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not only embarrassing to admit that you remodeled your home without the right permits\u2014you might lose a buyer because they don\u2019t want to put more items on their to-do list. Make sure you have all the permits you needed for remodeling that you did in the past and have permits for possible remodeling in the future.<\/p>\n

\"pet-policies\"<\/p>\n

6. Call the Kennel<\/h2>\n

As much as you love your animals, proof of them in your home doesn\u2019t add value. The right buyer could have allergies or prefer a pet-free life.<\/p>\n

Have a pet sitter or kennel\u2019s number on hand for when you\u2019re showing the home. Hide or clean any evidence <\/i>of your furry friend, including odors.<\/p>\n

This might mean calling the professionals for a deep clean of your carpets, but it\u2019s an investment that pays off in the long run.<\/p>\n

7. Hire a Housekeeper<\/h2>\n

While you\u2019re at it, hire a professional to remove evidence of your <\/i>odors, too. Animal lovers aren\u2019t the only homeowners who should consider deep cleaning. After years in your home or on your property, you might not notice certain stains or smells.<\/p>\n

Related: <\/em><\/strong>Should You Sell Your House or Rent It?<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Buyers certainly will. Invest in a professional housekeeper or cleaner who will scrub everything down and shine every surface.<\/p>\n

8. Stash Valuables and Family Photos<\/h2>\n

Buyers want to step into a house and feel like they live there. Pictures of your family remind them that they\u2019re just looking.<\/p>\n

This task kills a few birds with one stone. Removing personal photos and valuables sets the house up for staging. Even if you’re not staging your home, stashing away your stuff also prevents theft. You never know who\u2019s popping into your open house and milling around your bedroom.<\/p>\n

Packing these items could also save you time once you\u2019re ready to move!<\/p>\n

\"Girl<\/p>\n

9. Rent a Storage Unit<\/h2>\n

You\u2019ll need to put your family photos and pet cages somewhere. <\/i>Get a storage unit ready so you won\u2019t have to stress about where to put the items that you\u2019ve packed. If you decide last-minute to stage the house with different furniture or decor, this storage unit will be necessary anyway.<\/p>\n

And if all goes well, you\u2019ll be needing a place to put all <\/i>of your stuff before you know it.<\/p>\n

10. Make a List of Anything That Is Coming With You<\/h2>\n

Eventually, everything is going to go. That might mean light fixtures or curtain rods that might normally be left behind.<\/p>\n

Make a list of everything that you are going to take with you and give it to the Realtor. If you\u2019re not present during an open house, your real estate agent will be able to answer all questions that buyers might have about what stays and what goes.<\/p>\n

Is there anything you’d recommend adding to this list?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Leave suggestions in the comment section below!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t rush to list your house if you\u2019re not ready. Neglected repairs, unaddressed maintenance, and a bad first impression could mean your house is on the market longer. Use these suggestions as a checklist to complete before you list your house for sale, so you can close quicker at a higher price point.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23983,"featured_media":120539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7391],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exiting"],"acf":[],"comment_count":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23983"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}