Home Selling Checklist: 6 Factors to Consider

Between packing up your treasured keepsakes and the boxes you haven’t unpacked since the last time you moved, moving can come with a seemingly endless to-do list. And that’s before you consider the task of selling the home itself.

From having the house appraised to getting a home inspection and making necessary repairs, hosting showings, and fielding offers, there’s a lot to take care of as a home seller. There’s also determining the real costs of selling a home, understanding how to increase home value before selling, and more. 

Fortunately, a residential leaseback paired with a plan of action can streamline the process and set you up for selling success. Follow this ultimate home selling checklist and you’ll be a real estate whiz in no time. 

#1 Plan Your Selling Strategy 

Preparation is critical when it comes to selling our house, and it begins well before you list the property or open it up to eager home buyers. Before you do any of that, it’s helpful to devise a strategy for selling. Planning out your strategy will enable you to make the best decisions at every stage of the home selling process, from the moment you list it until you close the sale.

Your home selling strategy depends on several factors that are unique to your situation. Your sales timeline, market conditions, and how much you hope to sell the house for should all be considered. Then, you’ll want to begin making decisions about: 

• How to sell – Will you sell the house on your own, or will you partner with a real estate agent or other home selling service? The “for sale by owner” or FSBO option can save you money on commissions and agent’s fees, but selling a house is a lot of work. On the other hand, an expert agent can guide you through the ins and outs of home selling and shoulder much of the burden. If you decide to use an agent or company, be sure to sample your options and thoroughly vet your choices.
• Determine your home’s value – The value of a home can fluctuate wildly based on several forces. Even if you think you know what your home is worth, you need to have it formally appraised. Once it’s been appraised and you’ve checked comparable sales in your area, you can set an asking price and get your house ready.
• List and market your home – With your asking price set, you’re ready to officially list your home. You’re also ready to start advertising the sale. If you’re working with a real estate agent or company, you can expect them to do most of the work here. If you’re selling on your own, you’ll need to investigate options for a marketing plan for the property, like your local Multiple Listing Service (MLS), FSBO sites, and putting a sign in your front yard. 

Making these determinations early in the process will help you navigate the coming terrain, so be sure to put strategizing at the top of your home selling checklist.

#2 Amp Up Your Curb Appeal

Common wisdom tells us that you only get one chance to make a first impression, after which you’re merely treading in the water of the image you’ve projected. Sellers should keep that tiny seed of wisdom in mind, because first impressions are as huge in real estate as they are anywhere else.

In other words, sellers need to make sure that prospective buyers are wowed from the very second they pull into the driveway. The best way to do that is by amping up the curb appeal of your home.

Curb appeal refers to the impression a property makes from the curb, or when viewed from the street. Buyers assume a lot about the inside quality of a home based on what they see outside. For that reason, sprucing up the exterior may improve your chances of finding a prospective buyer willing to meet your asking price. It may also shorten the length of time your house takes to sell and even add value to your home.

On the other hand, a lack of curb appeal could bring in offers that are lower than you expect or scare potential buyers off altogether. To avoid that outcome, make sure your selling your home checklist includes showing the outside of your home a little TLC. Pay attention to: 

• Landscaping – Grass, hedges, bushes, trees, and any other foliage on the property should be well-tended and in immaculate condition. Buyers want homes with lush, green lawns and trim, stately trees—not grass with brown, dead patches or mangy, overgrown trees. 
• Exterior and roof – Be sure to clean the exterior of your house and check for damage like loose or broken siding and shutters. You should also check the condition of the roof and remove any natural debris, like branches, twigs, and leaves.
• Driveways and walkways – If your driveways and walkways are afflicted with cracks or holes, it might be worth fixing them. At the very least, you should remove any weeds that may have sprouted.

#3 Do a Deep Declutter 

Once prospective buyers make it inside your home, you want to ensure the environment is one that they can envision themselves living in. One of the most effective ways to do this is by removing your excess personal belongings—aka, by decluttering. Decluttering takes time, but it can have a huge impact on how prospective buyers perceive the house.

That said, decluttering your entire home can be intimidating to consider. To alleviate some of that stress, here are a few tips to keep in mind: 

• Go room by room – The decluttering process is more manageable if you break it down room by room, so make a list and get started. In addition to heavy traffic areas like the living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathrooms, be sure to target hallways, entryways, foyers, and mudrooms, plus all of your closets, drawers, and other hidden spaces.
• Hit the garage – Garages are big selling points for home buyers, so make sure yours is ready to be seen. Overhaul your garage by getting rid of things you don’t need, from old camping equipment to broken gardening tools. Whatever you hang on to should be stored in a tidy and organized fashion.
• Basements and attics – These are two spaces it’s easy to forget about, but buyers won’t. It’s imperative to include them in your decluttering project.

A thorough decluttering will make marking off the next item on your home selling checklist easier.

#4 Clean 

You want your house to sparkle and shine as much as possible when potential buyers come to see it. But it won’t become that way on its own, so be prepared to clean—and clean again and again—while your house is on the market. If you’re not up to the task, hiring professional cleaners is a good way to achieve a deep clean.

When your home is spotless, you stand a better chance of impressing buyers at open houses and showings. In addition, a thorough cleaning can also make your house look more appealing in: 

• Photographs
• Web listings
• Video tours 

During your home staging, you can rest assured knowing the home looks clean and will impress home buyers. After all, every home buyer wants to ensure they're purchasing a property that looks as if it were taken care of by previous owners. 

#5 Don’t Ignore the Small Stuff

When you’re living in your home, it’s easy to miss the small signs of wear and tear that will stand out to buyers. That’s why no selling your home checklist is complete unless it instructs you to ferret out and rectify your home’s tiniest defects. 

When you’re preparing your home for the market, be sure to address things like:

• Scuffed floors
• Stained carpets
• Damaged or broken baseboards
• Damaged or broken windows
• Damaged or broken blinds
• Dented walls 

#6 Go Neutral

One of the joys of homeownership is transforming a space into one that reflects your tastes. But when it comes time for a new family to take over, you want to eliminate as much of your influence as possible. 

In general, it’s best to offer buyers as much of a blank, neutral space as possible so that they can begin to imagine how they would decorate it and make it their own. No matter how long you’ve lived there or how strong your design sense, you can tamp down the individuality by:

• Repainting – For home showings, it’s best to opt for neutral-colored walls like beiges, tans, and grays. These colors make a space feel new and uninhabited. And because they match many different tones, buyers can envision their own belongings in the house.
• Depersonalize – You may love that unique piece’s appeal, but it’s a good idea to get rid of personal touches in your house, like family photos, artwork, or unconventional furniture.

Hiring professional stagers can go a long way toward neutralizing your home and creating a space that’s welcoming but adaptable. Home staging may also help you snag higher offers and make a faster sale.

Truehold: Selling Your Home Made Simple

Selling your home isn’t always as easy as listing it and waiting for the offers to roll in. It takes preparation, energy, and time. And even if you follow our home selling checklist to a T, you could still meet sluggish markets and fickle buyers that stretch the process on and on.

The good news? There’s a way for homeowners to bypass the hassle of home selling: Truehold.

Our Sale-Leaseback program enables homeowners to take advantage of the value of their home and the wealth it represents. When you sell to Truehold, you exchange the hassle of homeownership for equity you can use to pay off debt, finance an education, or buy a new home. In the meantime, you can continue living at home as a renter. With Truehold, it’s just that easy. 

‍Sources: 

1. HGTV. Real Estate Survival Guide: Seller’s Checklist. https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/real-estate/real-estate-survival-guide-sellers-checklist 

2. Progressive. Selling a Home by Owner vs. With a Realtor. https://www.progressive.com/answers/selling-home-by-owner-vs-realtor/ 

3. Homebay. 4 Smart Ways to Advertise Your Home for Sale. https://homebay.com/tips/4-most-effective-ways-to-promote-your-fsbo-listing/ 

4. Fortune Builders. The Importance of Curb Appeal to Selling a House. https://www.fortunebuilders.com/importance-curb-appeal/ 

5. Real Homes. 27 decluttering jobs you must do if you want to sell your home. https://www.realhomes.com/advice/decluttering-jobs-you-must-do-if-you-want-to-sell-your-home 

6. LIst With Clever. How Much Value Does a Garage Add To a House? https://listwithclever.com/real-estate-blog/how-much-value-does-a-garage-add-to-a-house/#

7. Realtor. Home Selling Checklist: 12 Things to Do Before Selling Your House. https://www.realtor.com/advice/sell/home-selling-checklist-things-to-do-before-selling/ 

8. Open Door. The paint colors that can boost your home’s value. https://www.opendoor.com/w/blog/paint-colors-that-boost-home-value#

9. Foxy Home Staging. 7 Benefits of Home Staging. https://foxyhomestaging.com.au/2021/10/15/7-benefits-of-home-staging/