The Home Seller Checklist

The Basics

• Hire a professional cleaner
• Make minor upgrades, like new carpet and modern paint colors
• Plant flowers, trim grass and sweet walkways. The buyer will make a quick assessment from their car, and will often decide there and then whether to look at your house or not.
• Light it up! Replace those burned-out light bulbs, buy some extra floor lamps and trim the vine growing over your front window. Do whatever you can to let light into the house.
• Repair all those little things you've been meaning to fix: drippy faucets, stained ceilings, or that back porch gutter that's hanging by a nail.
• Organize! Especially the pantry, laundry room, cabinets (don't forget under the kitchen sink), and all the other places where clutter has taken over. Buyers like a clean organized home.
• Pay attention to the finishing touches: new towels, shower curtains, tidy beds, oiled door hinges, fresh flowers, and soft music.

Your Transaction Timeline

• Position: Evaluate comparable homes and analyze market trends.
• Prepare: Marketing strategy and listing preparation (staging, floorplan, photography).
• Launch: MLS, syndication, and networking.
• Marketing: Print and digital advertising, and targeted mailers and email campaigns.
• Show: Broker events, open houses, lead follow-up, gather prospective buyer feedback.
• Negotiate
• Settlement