Step-by-Step Home Prep: A Timeline for Selling Success

Step-by-Step Home Prep: A Timeline for Selling Success

Selling your home can be a complex process, but with the right preparation, you can make a significant difference in attracting potential buyers. This step-by-step guide will take you through the entire process, offering tips on commonly overlooked details and helping you set goals from a year out to the final days before listing your home.

1 Year Out: Laying the Groundwork

Preparing your home for sale begins with laying a solid foundation a year in advance. This phase focuses on understanding the market, thoroughly evaluating your home, and addressing often overlooked maintenance tasks.

• Assess the market: As you begin this process, understanding how your home compares to others in your area is important. Many homeowners miss the importance of this step, but consulting with a real estate agent can provide you with valuable insights into local market conditions. Clearly understanding local conditions can inform the decisions you make as an owner when preparing to take your home to market.

• Declutter and organize: Spend time in the months leading up to putting your home on the market to declutter and organize, paying special attention to hidden storage areas like attics and basements. These spaces are often overlooked but can significantly impact buyers' perceptions of your home's storage capacity. 

• Critically evaluate: Use a critical eye to assess the condition of your home identifying any major issues that could deter buyers. You can choose to hire a professional inspector to catch any areas you might overlook. Identifying and evaluating issues in advance can help you avoid unpleasant surprises later on.

• Address Deferred Maintenance Tasks: Leaky faucets, squeaky doors, and other minor repairs can accumulate and become objections during showings if left unattended.  Taking care of these small issues now will ensure your home is in its best shape when it hits the market.

  
  

Tip: Keep a detailed record of all work done on the home including repairs and upgrades to show potential buyers the care and maintenance you’ve invested.

6 Months Out: Making Strategic Improvements

At the six-month mark, it's time to consider strategic improvements that could enhance your home's appeal to potential buyers. This phase focuses on completing repairs, considering the return on investment of upgrading key areas, and ensuring your home looks its best inside and out. Meeting with your agent again at this juncture and having a clear up-to-date understanding of market conditions can help inform the decisions to take on projects or not. Based on your evaluation of market conditions, you may elect to focus on some of the strategic improvements listed below.

• Upgrade Key Areas: Focus on areas such as kitchens and bathrooms, where outdated fixtures can make a significant negative impact. Simple updates like new lighting and faucets can refresh these spaces.

• Neutralizing Your Home's Decor: Bold paint colors and personalized decor can sometimes make it hard for buyers to envision the space as their own, deciding to repaint walls in neutral tones and remove personal items can help to create a more universally appealing environment. 

• Enhance Your Home's Curb Appeal: A well-maintained lawn, trimmed hedges, and attractive landscaping can make a strong first impression. 

• Deep Clean: Thoroughly deep clean your home, paying attention to often overlooked areas like grout and baseboards. Powerwash the outside, steam clean carpets, and give hardwood floors a good mop.

  
  

Tip: Take a look at your exterior lighting.  Good exterior lighting can highlight your home’s exterior features and improve safety and security.

3 Months Out: Final Preparations

As the listing date approaches, focus on the final preparations to ensure your home stands out. 

• “Staging” your home effectively can make a significant difference in the buyer’s experience in your home. This can mean utilizing your own belongings to maximize the impact of your space or working with a professional stager to highlight your home's strengths and create an inviting atmosphere. Our goal as your listing agent is to help you evaluate the best option for you.

• Maximizing Our Professional Photos: Professional photos are essential in today’s market and a staple of the Bill McGarrigle Team’s Marketing Plan. Capturing high-quality images that showcase your home in the best light can be a game changer. To enhance the impact of these photos, it's crucial to prepare and finalize the staging of your home before the photographers arrive. Whether using your own items or bringing in a professional stager, creating an inviting atmosphere is key. We want buyers to envision themselves living in your home through the photos and for that vision to come to life when they visit in person.

• Pay attention to small details like fresh towels in the bathrooms and new doormats; these final touches can make your home feel more welcoming.

• Align yourself with an experienced team like the Bill McGarrigle Team, to develop a comprehensive marketing plan, including online listing, virtual tours, and open houses.

  
  

Tip: Don’t neglect to “stage” your storage areas. Buyers are looking for ample storage, so organized and clean storage spaces can make a big difference. 

Give yourself enough time to prepare so you can ensure your home is in prime condition to attract buyers and achieve a successful sale. The Bill McGarrigle Team is committed to helping you through every step of the process, providing expert advice and support to make your home stand out in the competitive market. Let's work together to make your home sale a smooth and rewarding experience!