8. Let in the sunshine
There’s nothing like walking into a room flooded with bright sunshine! The house will feel larger, cleaner, and more inviting than dark rooms that feel closed off. So do yourself a favor and always open all of the window treatments in your home.
9. Pre-appraisal
A top real estate agent will always run a comparative market analysis (CMA) to determine how much your house is worth. Still, a pre-appraisal can be helpful – especially if you’re trying to sell your house independently. Taking this step can help you get ahead of any problems, so they don’t become unwelcome surprises just as you’re getting ready to seal the deal.
10. Neutralize foul odors
Homeowners who have pets or smoke tend to go nose-blind and cannot tell if their home is plagued with foul odors — but buyers certainly can! Unfortunately, despite what commercials for air fresheners say, you cannot simply plug something in or spray something into the air to eliminate odors.
To help remove tobacco odors, Tudisco recommends running a humidifier for a couple of days and opening the windows before a showing, though more aggressive steps requiring professionals may be needed.
Pet odors, especially cat urine, are a common issue that requires more than just opening windows. Cat urine, in particular, can be really bad. “You have to replace the carpet and make sure you replace the floorboards underneath because just priming the floorboards before laying new carpet down won’t hide it. I had a client who tried to cover the cat urine smell with Glade Plugin or something — so it smelled like flowers mixed with pee!”
Words of wisdom: “You don’t want to be overwhelmed by these plugins and candles, and you don’t want to be overwhelmed by pet odor. You want a nice neutral, clean smell,” says Bare.
Prep your house for sale: Tasks you may not have thought about
1. Look up your home address
In 2024, all buyers used the internet to look for their home, so it’s important to know what buyers see when they come across your listing. First, search your home’s address and read through the property’s details to ensure they’re correct.
If your property shows up on Google Maps street view, look to see if it shows any new updates to the exterior of your home. If not, be sure to include the updates in your listing.
2. Conduct a pre-listing home inspection
In most cases, home inspections are unavoidable. Porch surveyed 1,000 people who bought a home and revealed that 88% of buyers order home inspections before closing, and 83% of mortgage lenders even require it.
As a seller, pre-listing inspection is like an ace up the sleeve. Instead of waiting for the results of a buyer-requested home inspection and having to either negotiate or make the repairs, you’re well ahead of the game. A pre-listing inspection will reveal any repairs that need to be made, help determine a price point, encourage more substantial offers, etc.
3. Hire a professional photographer
The real estate agent you’re working with should have a few professional photographers in their network to call upon to take great photos of your property. However, in today’s age, pictures aren’t enough. If the photographer your agent recommends doesn’t offer it already, look for a professional photographer who can do a video walkthrough and aerial photography.
Since many buyers start their search online, the more they can see your property, the better it is for you. The video walkthrough can give buyers a sense of the flow of the house. At the same time, aerial photography can highlight your property and the surrounding area, thus giving potential buyers a full view of the property.
4. Boost curb appeal
You may have pressure-washed the exterior of your home, spruced up the front entryway, and patched up any cracked concrete, but that’s not going to be enough to wow potential buyers.
If you have a little extra money, there are a variety of curb appeal projects that will give you a good return on your investment.
Curb appeal projects with high ROI include:
- Basic yard care: cut grass, fertilized lawn, and weed control (estimated cost: $340)
- Three cubic yards of bark mulch to be delivered and laid out (estimated cost: $275)
- Landscaping upgrade to include new walkway, flower bed, shrubs (cost: $4,500)
- Paint home exterior (estimated cost: $3,200)
- Install new garage door (estimated cost: $1,200)
“As the weather gets better, you want to take advantage of improving curb appeal. Just cleaning up your yard first and then decluttering would be the number one thing where I would start,” Favela recommends.