If you don’t plan on selling your home yourself, the first step in listing your home is of course to find a real estate agent who truly understands your needs. The second step is preparing yourself so that you getting together as much information as possible so you and your agent can carry out informed negotiations with potential buyers. Careful preparations for these meetings will ensure that your house sells quickly and for the highest price possible. We have compiled some of our essentials below to help you sell your house efficiently and effectively.

Collect All Your Papers

Readying your home for a potential buyer begins with locating all the most important papers related to your home. These include operating manuals for all appliances and your HVAC system, notes about paint colors for the walls, and any warranties that are still applicable. Seasonal totals of utility bills may help further differentiate your home from similar houses in another county, so we also recommend having those on hand. Also include documentation of any recent repairs, replacements, or professional cleanings of your home. Having these papers ready in your initial meeting with your inspector will ensure you and your agent can reach a listing price that’s appropriate for the actual value of your home.

Have Estimates On Hand

A professional inspector can help you determine how much it will cost to replace any appliances or parts of your home that might need improvements within the next few years (e.g. the furnace, roof, or water heater). You may not be prepared to buy new items now, but knowing the potential costs will give you an edge in negotiations. Along with these estimates, include information on local cleaning services or any utility services you have used in the past. Ultimately, the more research you have done and the more you can tell an inspector about your house, the easier it will be for him or her to accurately inspect your home.

Make Easy Cosmetic Fixes

Take a walk through your home, and try to experience it as if you were the one making a purchase. Are there cracks in your driveway or concrete foundation? Is paint chipping? Are there spots on the carpet or hardwoods? Even the smallest blemishes or problems can turn off a potential buyer, so—particularly with small, inexpensive repairs, try to fix whatever you can before you list.

Any devices or appliances that will be sold along with the house (e.g., smoke detectors) should be tested to ensure they’re working properly. All plumbing including sinks, toilets, and showers should be cleaned and checked for functionality. And last, lighting is essential to making your home look open, clean, and presentable. Keep this in mind and replace any burnt out light bulbs, broken fixtures, or dysfunctional switches.

Declutter and Depersonalize Your Home

If you aren’t selling a furnished home, your rooms will ideally be empty (or “open”) in order to give any viewers an idea of the actual size of the space. Rented storage centers are great options when it comes to temporary placement for items you’d like to keep. If you haven’t already, find out where the nearest dump or junkyard is and begin to sort out which possessions won’t be following you to your new home. By clearing the house you plan to list, inspectors and agents will be able to better survey and appraise your house.

Along the same lines, you should remove all signs that you lived in the home. The idea is for it to be completely neutral so buyers can picture themselves living there. By removing your personal effects and memories, it will allow for potential buyers to imagine their own within those spaces (and make them feel less like they’re invading someone else’s space).

Have Your Home Professionally Inspected

A professional home inspection is the single most important step in preparing your home for listing. This inspection will give you a detailed report of the property’s pre-sale condition and unveil any concerns that might compromise a sale. While home inspections are sometimes performed right before closing the sale of a home, a better option is to move the inspection to the beginning of the sales cycle, thereby removing obstacles to a sale before committing time to negotiation.

Getting an inspection report can sometimes be confusing, so before you schedule your inspection, take some time to understand how to read a home inspection report. You can even get your own free sample inspection report to see exactly what criteria you should plan to cover during your inspection.

Download Your Sample Report