You have made the decision that you are ready to sell your property. Now you are wondering what do you do?  What are your next steps? You are ready to sell, now what?

First step is, and I mean this with your best interest at heart, talk to a realtor. I will not get into this point to much in this article but you can read more about it HERE.

Next step is to get your house in order. Realizing the short-comings of your house may be harder than you think. There are likely little “quirks” about your property that you overlook and do not even notice anymore. Get a fresh pair of eyes to look over your home. Then you are going to complete any and all repairs or renovations. When a buyer is walking through your house, all repairs are going to seem 10 times worse than they actually are, and in the buyer’s mind they will cost 10 times more than they actually would. Fixing everything will do a lot for your asking price.

Thinking of renovating to get top dollar? Here are the renovations that are most likely to get you your money back if not more. Update the kitchen or bathroom, finish the basement, add new flooring, new roof, new windows, exterior improvements such as siding, create more “open concept” areas, and last but not least – paint. Landscaping can improve your top dollar but be careful not to overdo it. You can spend more than you will see in a return on landscaping so try to keep it reasonable.

Next step is to clean the entire house from top to bottom, and stage it so it presents itself well. Very important part of this step is to keep it clean at all times. Don’t hide dirty clothes in a closet or leave kids toys out all over the floor. When it comes to staging, you may not need to bring in a professional stager. Take down any questionable art pieces, religious or political symbols, or anything that “makes a statement”. If you have a teenager with a flag on their wall, you may want to take that down no matter what is on the flag. Put away any alcohol and if you smoke anything, do not do it inside and leave no trace of it behind. A family with young children does not want to see your 4 marijuana plants in the basement. The point is you want others to picture themselves in your house, not you.

It may be a great idea to book a room at your local storage facility and de-clutter your home as best as you can. Everything you will not be using over the next month goes into storage. A de-cluttered house will feel much more spacious.

Once this is done, it is time to get professional photos done. This is important so do not accept horrible photos. There are some agents who are very good at taking pictures, but not many. If your agent wants to take pictures themselves make sure you stipulate that you want to see the photos before approving them.

This list is not exhaustive but by following this simple process you will be in a very good place to start. It by no means is meant to replace the advice of your real estate agent either. They may have a different process.

You are ready to sell, now what? Well, now you know.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this in more detail, please send me an email or give me a call.