What can you do to get your property ready before you list for sale?

VIDEO: What can your do to get your property ready before you list for sale?

The short answer is clean up your property and make it shine!

The question here is what CAN you do to get your property ready before you list for sale. I am going to go through the basic actions a Seller can take before listing for sale. I understand that there may not be enough money or enough time to make any or all of these happen. That being said, here is a list of basic actions a Seller can take before coming on the market.

Make basic repairs.
For example:
Front door lock broken? Fix it.
Touch-up painting required in entry hall? Touch it up.
Bathroom faucet leaking? Repair it.

Clean up.
For example:
Lots of junk in the basement? Now is a good time to get rid of it.
Have a housecleaner clean the property to within an inch of its life. Can it be expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes.
Right before coming on the market, have the windows professionally cleaned.

Engage the services of an experienced stager.
Do you live in your property? The stager can help you add and subtract items to help your property show to best advantage.
Is the property vacant? The stager can stage the main rooms or the entire residence.

It's a good idea to engage your listing agent at the beginning of this process, so that your listing agent can offer assistance with preparing your property for sale. I have literally gone through this process hundreds of times as a listing agent. It's very helpful to have an experienced Realtor giving guidance on these matters, and also when you are contemplating more challenging questions such as the following: Do I need to replace the roof? Is it worth it to upgrade the kitchen appliances?

There is a lot to the process of getting a property ready for sale. Engaging an experienced Realtor will make it much easier for you to get ready.