Sellers Checklist


SELLERS CHECKLIST- Make sure your home is dressed for success !!

 

1. Dress your home up – your home’s curb appeal will create an instant and irreversible first impression with every buyer. 

  • Paint the trim and front door
  • Buy a new doormat
  • Put new doorknobs on your front door
  • Buy a new mailbox
  • Put a pot of bright flowers (small evergreen in Winter) on your porch
  • Plant flowers, trim bushes and pull weeds
  • Clean the downspouts and gutter
  • Clean the screens and windows
  • Power wash the sidewalk and driveway
  • Mow the grass, apply new bark mulch, edge the grass around walks and trees
  • Keep your garden tools out of site
  • Be sure kids put away their toys
  • Upgrade outside lighting and replace bulbs
  • Wash the house exterior or paint, if needed
  • Clean or replace house numbers
  • Remove all cobwebs and spray for pests

2.  Create a warm environment – every home should offer the potential buyer a warm, friendly experience especially during the first showing.  What greets the buyer on the other side of your front door?  A clean house makes a better first impression and convinces buyers that the home has been well cared for. 

  • Consider the smell of your home – eliminate cooking odors, smoke and pet smells
  • Scented candles, vanilla or potpourri can help
  • Replace light bulbs, have clean drapes, blinds and windows
  • Open drapes and blinds so your home looks cheerful
  • Buy new pillows for the sofa
  • Buy a flowering plant and put it in a window you pass by frequently
  • Make a centerpiece for your table with fruit or flowers
  • Buy new towels and a new shower curtain
  • But a seasonal wreath on the door
  • Remove excess furniture out of every room to create a sense of spaciousness
  • Put away kitchen appliances and personal bathroom items to give the illusion of more counter space
  • Use attractive bedspreads and freshly laundered curtains
  • Have the carpets professionally cleaned or replaced if needed
  • Paint or wash the walls
  • Clean the doors, cabinets and closets
  • Dust the home and remove cobwebs
  • Clean out the garage
  • Clean the appliances
  • Paint or clean the baseboards
  • Re – caulk the bathtubs and showers
  • Replace the cracked or damaged outlet covers
  • Make closets look bigger: neat & well organized closets show space is ample

3. Remove barriers from the relationship – buyers need to build an emotional bond with a home before they can make a decision to purchase the home.  Help them remove the potential barriers.

  • Pack and store seasonal clothing
  • Remove unused furniture
  • Depersonalize the rooms by putting family photos, mementos and distinctive artwork away
  • Secure pets before each showing
  • Remove and replace fixtures not included with the sale

4.  Tell a story and be interesting – buyers want a home that stands out from the competition.  Does each room in your home tell a story? What can you visualize happening in each room as you walk through the home ? This is often referred to as staging the home.

  • Set the kitchen table with nice dishes and candles
  • Have a smell of freshly baked goodies in your kitchen
  • Place a book on the nightstand
  • Display an open game in the kid’s room
  • Start a fire in the fireplace, if applicable
  • Turn on soft music
  • Display a family DVD near the entertainment center