by Lisa Miller, Realtor®
Are you thinking about putting your home on the market? Are you overwhelmed, thinking about all that you need to do, to get it ready? Having a plan and a list to check off makes it easier to stay organized and efficient.
Here are the top 10 things you should do when preparing to list your home:
- Make any necessary repairs to your home, to make it as safe as possible.
- Declutter and donate- if you haven’t needed it in a year, consider giving it to someone that will use it.
- Go through each room and touch up or repaint so the walls are fresh and clean.
- Spruce up your front yard – this is your first impression, make a lasting one.
- Do a thorough and detailed clean of your home – get down to the nitty gritty and clean those baseboards and corners.
- Eliminate, store, or remove any excess furniture so rooms look large, and the prospective homeowner can envision their own belongings there.
- Remove any personal items from walls, shelves, and closets.
- Small details count – bring in fresh flowers or staging
- Keep the house clean, every day, so you aren’t running around trying to pick up right before a showing
- Pack up anything you will not need during the transition.
Packing
How can you keep from getting overwhelmed? You spend so much time thinking about all the things you need to do that your head continues to spin out of control. Cleaning and packing up a house can be mind-numbing work. You can be in one room, packing up books on a bookshelf, then you think of something you need to do in the basement.
What is your first instinct?
Run to the basement and take care of that task before you forget it! Meanwhile, your bookshelf isn’t packing itself and you never really feel like you are accomplishing ANYTHING.
My number one tip for staying organized and not losing your mind is to keep a notepad beside you, everywhere you pack. Title each page with the rooms of your house. As your mind wanders, and you think of something in the other room, jot it down on the appropriate page. Then you can continue to pack away. When you get to that next room, you will have an organized list of things to do, and you can just it check off as you go.
Also helpful, try to complete a room at a time. Start packing from one end and work your way around. This isn’t easy with rooms that you spend a lot of time in. But if you start with rooms that you don’t, you can completely pack it and close the door. The key is to have a feeling of accomplishment.
Ready to sell your home? Lisa and the Mama Bear Team and help! Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
