What not to do before selling a house? What should sellers know?

For most people, selling a house is one of the biggest moments in their lives. When you sell a house, there’s a good chance that it’s the only time you’ll ever sell a house. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t terrifying.

The good news is you won’t need to go to that extreme to sell your home. With a few simple tips, you can make your home significantly more attractive to prospective homebuyers. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for your potential buyers to see themselves living in your home with the least amount of effort on their part.

So before selling, here are some essentials that you need to prepare.

What to do before selling your house

Before you get started with cleaning and decluttering your house, let’s take a quick look.

When you see the same things every single day, it makes you forget the small things.

While you are touring the property, make a mental list or some written-down notes of things that can be done to improve the property so it will sell more easily. At this stage, all you are doing is making a list of possible things to do.

Remove the clutter

Clutter can easily make a room feel smaller. It’s less about size, and more about flow. As you clear the clutter, you will find yourself opening up your home more.

So how did we get so much junk in the first place? What can happen in a home is that, a lot of times, it is hard to really keep track of what you have. If you have not sold your home before, or it has been a while, it is a good idea to start doing this today in the rooms that seem to have the most clutter. Start pulling out what you will not use and donate the larger pieces.

You might also want to tidy up your wardrobe and cupboards as potential buyers could want to try them out!

Clean the place

The majority of purchasers like to be told the house has been maintained.

Therefore, this means that you will have to ensure that the property is clean and sparkling before taking anyone to see it. It doesn’t require a deep cleaning, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to spend some time on the furniture and spots that you don’t regularly clean. Wash the windows, clean the doors and skirtings, wipe the cupboards and the kitchen appliances, as well as any other places you may forget to clean regularly. Don’t forget to scrub the bathrooms, sinks, mirrors, showers, taps, floors and tiles!

The kitchen should be hygienic too; remove what you can from the worktops and mop around the oven and sink and the appliances.

Fix the little things

The small details of your house matter.

Perhaps your kitchen cupboard doors just aren’t closing properly, or your tap has a constant drip. You might not think these things are worth worrying about, but to a potential buyer they’re certainly things that will turn them away. Walk around your house and take note of everything that irritates you, even the small stuff. Fix these things which seem like easy fixes. You don’t need to remodel your house, but you should make sure it seems like someone lives there who cares for it.

Upgrade the front door

You will want to make a good first impression for people who are interested in moving into your home.

Get your welcome mat: Clear the clutter and tidy the pathway, front door, porch, or drive to your house. Tidy any overgrown areas and clear away leaves and other debris. Make sure the grass is mowed and plants are in good shape and have not been left to overgrow.

Keep the front door and driveway/pathway clear, tidy and free from clutter — they are the first things that your buyers will see!

Make the rooms less cluttered

A huge garage sale is not always necessary when decluttering your house; sometimes the best way to clear some space in your house is to get rid of some furniture!

Walk through each room of the house and determine what pieces you want to have in there to make the room look finished and livable. You don’t have to leave everything in the room, and taking some of the big furniture out of the room will free up some space. Nothing should be blocking the walkways in the room, and there should be furniture set up in a way to serve a purpose in the room. Setting up the master bedroom to look like a bedroom, arranging the living room as a lounge, and setting up the table in the dining room as it normally would be will help to sell the house and help the potential buyers visualise themselves living in the home comfortably.

Refresh the walls, if necessary

As you walk through your house, you might come across a couple of strange things, including damaged walls, such as the ones damaged by snow, scratches or paint that isn’t evenly spread, and strange colours. When your walls are in need of some love, paint them!

Let more light in

Lighting can make all the difference.

Ensure every curtain and blind is opened and that the windows are clean for each viewing. Check all the lights in the house are working and that bulbs and lamps aren’t broken or damaged. Identify the darker areas of the house that will need to be lightened for viewings and make sure heavy curtains and furniture aren’t blocking light.

Give the Kitchen Some Love

If a handle or fitting has come loose, then the job is simple; if you need more time to consider those big problems, then so be it; it is not time for a completely new kitchen!

Begin with your worktops. Now, I don’t expect to have completely cleared the worktop! That would be asking too much. But you want to clear your worktops so you can start with a clear space. Thoroughly clean your cabinets, handles, sink, appliances and backsplash. Make sure the storage areas and the cupboards and pantries are neat and tidy, and that you have spent some time organising those areas that aren’t on show so everything looks new. If a handle or fitting has come loose, then the job is simple; if you need more time to consider those big problems, then so be it; it is not time for a completely new kitchen!

Make the Bathrooms Feel Fresh

Bathrooms should feel fresh and airy.

Clear off the top of the bathroom cabinet of any bottles, toiletries, or clutter. A clean, fresh towel and a shiny surface are a great way to give your bathroom the perfect finishing touch.

Organise your storage areas

Storage areas can often be a big selling point to many people, so make sure you’re getting the most out of yours.

If you’ve got kitchen cupboards, wardrobes, the garage or other store-rooms you use to the brim, then the purchasers will not find it easy to determine how much storage space there really is in the house. Before you come onto the market, you should attempt to clear as much room as possible in these spaces, making sure you remove what’s not required. There’s no need for this to be drastic, but sufficient for the prospective buyers to get an accurate measure of the storage space.

Put Away Some Personal Items

Your home is warm and welcoming, but you don’t want it to be such a total mess that the potential buyer cannot picture living in the house.

How about removing some of the personality from the house? This can mean family pictures or personal items, or anything that might distract the buyer from imagining themselves living in the house. Again, the goal is not to empty the house of all of its personality, but just to create a little more space for the potential buyer.

Take Care of the Outside Areas

If you are selling a house, make sure the outdoor space is presented as a major selling point.

In the garden, on the balcony, in the courtyard, on the patio or even just in the yard if you have a good yard outside the house, you want to make sure that they are all reasonably clean. Remove the rubbish and junk, put the furniture together and sweep the floor. Pondering your plants: can they be given special care? If you are buying a house, buy a home where the outdoor space was a major selling point. So, give your potential buyers a picture of the life that they will live, and put out a nice table with some chairs that are relaxing, and let the buyers see themselves sitting there.

Gather Your Property Papers

Ensure that before you put your property on the market, you have all the necessary papers and paperwork stored in a file or folder.

This might be things like building manuals, renovation records, appliances, warranties, receipts, building permits, maintenance records… You get the idea! You should try to gather all this into one easy-to-find file/folder, so you don’t spend time looking for something that you cannot find when it is time to sell.

Prepare the House for Photography

Great photos will be critical, as most likely prospects will browse the house online before actually seeing the house.

Get the House Ready for Photos – Clear the house and pack away other items and pack away things in the room so that the house looks clean and ready for photography. Get the House Ready for Photos – Draw all curtains, clean all windows, clear all the rooms and look out so that everything is tidy and clean as it can be. No new reflections.

Consider How Buyers Are Going To Enter The House

After you finish the initial pre-sorting process, go through your house the way a potential buyer would.

Begin at the front of the house and work your way all around the front entrance; go into the house and take a tour at your own leisure. What are the first things that you notice? Would a busy room turn away an honest visitor? Can you smell anything? Is the room too dark compared to the other rooms? Is there anything you would change immediately? This exercise will help you to get a taste of some of the minor things you may have overlooked because you are so used to them.

If possible, have a friend or family member walk through your home and tell you how it feels to them.

Give Yourself Enough Time

Sometimes, homeowners wait until the very last minute to get the house ready to sell.

You will need to clean the house, declutter, repair the odd thing, rearrange the furniture, remove the pictures and whatever else might be required. I know that you will believe that these things can all be done within the hour, but I would suggest that you allow yourself enough time to do these things so that you can put enough time in each room.

Final thoughts

Staging your home for sale preparation is not about having a house that is perfect; it is about having a house that is going to fit a buyer. Remove the clutter, vacuum and clean the house, do the odd jobs, get a new coat of paint on your front door, tidy the cupboards, empty the wardrobes, sort out the uses for rooms, and just get on and do the little jobs – take your time.

A home that’s cosy and warm, inviting and packed with clutter but still clean, can be so marketable it practically sells itself.

And, most importantly, Allow Yourself plenty of time so you can do all the prep!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What should I do before selling my house?

Before selling, declutter each room, clean the property thoroughly, complete small repairs, tidy the garden and entrance, organise storage areas and gather important property documents. It is also worth preparing the house carefully for photographs and viewings.

2. Should I declutter my house before selling it?

Yes. Removing unnecessary furniture and personal items can make rooms feel more spacious and help potential buyers picture themselves living in the property.

3. Should I clean my house before putting it on the market?

Yes. A clean and well-maintained home can make a better impression during viewings. Pay particular attention to kitchens, bathrooms, windows, floors, cupboards and areas that are not cleaned regularly.

4. What small repairs should I make before selling my house?

Deal with simple problems such as dripping taps, loose fittings, damaged cupboard doors and other minor issues that could affect a buyer’s impression of the property. You do not necessarily need to carry out major renovations.

5. How can I make my house look better for photographs?

Clear clutter, tidy each room, clean the windows, open curtains and blinds, and make sure the rooms are well presented. Good photographs are important because many potential buyers will see the property online before arranging a viewing.