Most sellers need to do more than tidy and fluff pillows before putting their home on the market. Since you’re planning to move anyway, one thing to do is look into a storage unit and doing a purge room by room. As you’re packing up things you won’t need for the next six months (or can live without until you close on your next home and move in) is also separate everything you’re not taking with. This means getting everything bagged to recycle, trash, donate, giveaway, sell, hand down, whatever so you can begin decluttering the home. You don’t need to necessarily pack much but let’s say it’s spring or summer; you can pack winter items for now, and put them in storage. These steps will automatically help your home look neater and more organized to buyers, as well as make moving day easier for you. Buyers want to see the space without it being cluttered and jam packed. It’s hard to visualize when stuff is everywhere, overshadowing the home’s attributes.

Second, remove all personal items like photos and precious things left out. Many sellers decide to start wrapping and putting them in storage too, already packed to move. Carefully pack them for the moving truck now and take out any photos, personal items that have names, etc. and remove anything that indicates who you are. Remember to pack now anything of value you can go without or hide it well because you don’t want to leave that out for photos and showings. You may never see it again. It’s also to help people see the home beyond the stuff. Buyers need to see themselves there, not you. This also helps the home present better and looks neater to buyers as a whole. Less is more.

Third, go through kitchens and bathrooms are toss expired items, unused times you don’t need, organize pantries, showers, countertops, bottles, etc so everything looks ready to photograph and keep it that way until moving day. Buyers will tour the home multiple times during escrow as well so keep them home nice until moving time when you’re actually preparing to leave and take things away.

Purge some more, pack decor, and other items to get ready to hire professional cleaners. Everyone thinks they’re tidy but a deep clean by an experienced cleaner or company makes all the difference. Have the bathrooms and kitchen detailed, steam clean the tile and carpets, dust all the fans and fixtures, etc. A thorough clean is essential!

Start getting rid of furniture you’re not taking and putting the rest in the storage unit to get the home professionally staged. It transforms any home and most homes need it unless they’ve been professionally decorated. Work with your agent to discuss this.

Every week after escrow is opened, start packing more and more things you can live without for six months, sometimes escrows on two homes take more combined time than you think if something goes wrong; been there many times! Continue to pack and purge guest rooms, rooms you can downsize for now and keeping slowly emptying the home. It’s a huge difference to buyers to only see what they need to make a decision. Less stuff makes homes feel bigger and the flow more seamless.

Keep the home clean and tidy like a magazine until inspections are done and signed off. You’d be surprised how many straight forward deals fall apart at the closing table. I’ve had it happen to me a couple of times and many times with clients. Nothing is done until keys are handed over and the deed is recorded. This includes the garage and closets because clients always want to see their full size and how well they can organize their own belongings. Whoever uses the garage or a shop usually go straight to the garage while the other spouse is checking out storage inside. It’s very important to start clearing these spaces into orderly bins, stacked, and labeled so visitors can easily make a path and gauge the space.

Lastly, don’t neglect the outside!! Make sure the landscaping is tidy and well kept. Have a gardner come in once or twice if needed to trim shrubs and trees, mulch, mow, weed, water, plant, pull, whatever he needs to do. Take your gnomes and decor to storage. No one wants to see those and if you’re taking your fountain, disclose that and have it scheduled for removal before final walk through or inspection. Walk the outside of your house and look for deferred maintenance, paint chipping, cracked windows, damaged shutters, rusting gutters, etc. Replace and fix what you can because that can turn a lot of buyers away. I’ve seen so many buyers not even go inside because of this!! People don’t want projects unless it’s an as-is type of sale or fixer property. If it’s not, they expect to see little work needed. See your property in the eyes of buyers and do a thorough walk through with your agent to “blue tape” all these. If it looks like money racking up to you, it absolutely will to buyers and if they do offer, it will reflect in their price. Get it handled now and avoid low offers citing work and costs to repair.

If you have more questions about buying and selling homes in California, or moving out of state, email me at agentofparadise@gmail.com or call/text 760-625-6836. I can help you find a great agent to buy or sell out of area.