Kate Padilla

So you’ve decided to sell your house, congratulations!

But you have no idea what to do next.

Selling a house is a big deal, from the presentation to the listing all the way through the inspections and closing. If you’re not familiar with the process, it can be overwhelming. In fact, one of the most asked questions when it comes to selling a house is, “How do I get my house ready?”

Luckily, it may not take a lot of time or money to prepare your house for showings. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Tip 1: Give it a good, deep clean.

This is one of the best things you can do to present your home well. Give every nook and cranny a scrub and a polish, and let your home shine for the buyer that will ultimately come in and fall in love with it. A clean home is the best first impression you can give. If you want to save the time, go ahead and hire a cleaning company to come in for a day. But, if you’re looking for a cost effective way to make your home sale-ready, this is hands-down the first thing you can do.

Tip 2: Finish the small fixes.

The more we live in our spaces, the more we get used to things the way they are. A bit of trim in the living room you’ve been meaning to finish for the last year. An outlet cover that has a small crack. A burned out lightbulb or a ding in the wall. Little things that don’t really affect your ability to live well in your home, but that a new buyer coming in will absolutely notice.

Take a walk through your home with a keen eye and a note pad. As you move from room to room, scan everything fully. What isn’t quite right? What would a buyer notice if they were walking through? Write it down, and then schedule out these tasks based on your time and available funds.

Could you sell the house without these fixes? In this market, you probably could. But, even in a “sellers market,” it may take longer and you may not get as much because a buyer will factor the cost of these repairs into their offer.

Tip 3: Repaint.

Our homes often become an extension of our personalities, and paint color is one way we can express ourselves within our environments. Love the bright colors? Fantastic! But when it comes to selling, you want a buyer to picture themselves in your home (so that they’re eager to write an offer), and you want to neutralize the paint colors to make it appealing to the most number of people.

Even if you already prefer the more neutral look, adding a fresh coat can brighten up the space and revive the room, while also touching up the spots that could use a little attention.

Keep in mind: neutral doesn’t always mean white, grey, or beige. A nice green, or a calming blue can set the tone you’re wanting for the room without appearing too personalized.

Tip 4: Pre-pack.

Full disclosure: “pre-pack” is often just a nicer way of saying “declutter.”

Cleaning a house thoroughly is incredibly important, but having a lot of clutter around may still cause a buyer to hesitate before moving forward.

Clear the kitchen countertops of the small appliances and the bathroom of the personal care products. Curate your living room shelves to a few decorative items and books. But too many things in a single space disrupts the flow of a buyer’s attention as they’re walking through your home, and can create overwhelm. The smoother you can make the presentation of your home, the more likely you are to sell quickly and for the highest amount of money.

Tip 5: De-personalize.

Many realtors and other professionals will tell you to put away all personal elements of your home. Me? I think there is a balance, but it must be handled carefully.

A few strategic photos on a shelf, or a handwritten family recipe card displayed in a corner of the kitchen can add the warmth and charm a buyer is looking for in their next home. You don’t want your house to look like a showroom, because no one wants to live there.

But you want a buyer to put themselves in your house. And that requires that you step out of the way. One or two photos may be fine, but entire shelves full is likely too many.

This is a good tip to keep in mind not just for the presentation of the home, but for your own family’s protection. You don’t necessarily want a lot of personal details openly available for anyone to see as they walk through your home. Make sure you are comfortable with the amount of information on you and your family you have displayed.

And, if you aren’t comfortable with family photos or other personal information visible, that is completely okay. There are other ways you can create the warmth of a home without revealing too much about yourself. A worn, clearly-loved book on the coffee table, for example. Or a few small trinkets related to a personal hobby, arranged in a vignette on a shelf, can achieve this effect.

Your ultimate goal in selling your home is to create a space in which a buyer can imagine themselves living, and eliminate all hesitation they may have in writing an offer. You want to be a clear “yes,” because if you’re not it’s much easier for them to convince themselves that your house is a “no” or a “not right now.”

And while yes, every market is different, these are tips I find consistent regardless of location, based on the agents I talk to and hear from. Taking these small steps can make a huge difference in not only the time your house sits on the market, but also in the number of offers you get and in the prices buyers are willing to pay.

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