Preparing a Longtime Home for Sale

When you've lived in a home for more than 10 years, there are things you simply stop noticing.

That's normal. You live there.

You don't really see everything sitting on the kitchen counter anymore. You know exactly what's crammed into that hall closet. The furniture has been arranged the same way forever because that's what works for you.

But when you're getting ready to sell, we have to look at your home a little differently.

When I walk through a longtime home with a seller, one of the first things I usually say is:

Please don't be offended by anything I'm about to tell you.

I'm looking at your home through a buyer's eyes, thinking about things an appraiser might notice, and bringing more than 20 years of experience selling homes.

I'm not judging how you live. I'm trying to help you put your home's best foot forward when it's time to sell.

And yes, if you walked into my house today, you will find plenty of things I'm about to tell you not to do.

But I'm not trying to sell mine. 😂

Start Decluttering Now

If you've lived in your home for more than 10 years, chances are you've accumulated some things.

Okay, maybe a lot of things.

Don't wait until you're ready to put the house on the market to start dealing with all of it.

Go room by room and start making decisions. What are you taking with you? What can you donate? What can you sell? What needs to go? And what are you keeping but don't use regularly and could go ahead and pack?

And here's the bonus: everything you donate, sell or get rid of now is one less thing you have to pack and move later.

Then there are the closets, cabinets and drawers.

Yes, buyers are going to open them.

If they open a closet that's packed from floor to ceiling, they can't see how much storage space is actually there. If they open a cabinet and things practically fall out, they're going to think you don't have enough storage.

I want them looking at your house, not your stuff.

Look at Your Furniture With Fresh Eyes

The furniture in your home works for the way you live. That's why it's there.

But when we're getting ready to sell, we need to look at it differently too.

Is there so much furniture that it's difficult to move comfortably through the room? Is one large piece making a room feel smaller? Would taking out a chair or an extra table open things up and give the room better flow?

We're not trying to empty the house.

We just want buyers to be able to walk through comfortably and get a good sense of the space.

And if there's a piece of furniture that's been the cat's favorite scratching post or the dog's favorite chair for years, we may decide that particular piece gets a little vacation while the house is on the market. 😂

Again, I'm not judging. I have a dog.

We're trying to keep buyers focused on the house.

Give Buyers Room to Picture Their Own Life There

This is where we talk about personal things.

Family photos, pictures of the kids, collections and all those things that make your house feel like home to you.

You don't necessarily have to remove every trace of your personality, but we do want to tone it down.

I want buyers walking through your home thinking about where their furniture might go, how they would use the kitchen and what their life might look like there.

The same goes for the kitchen.

Clear off most of the counters. Take the photos, papers and magnets off the refrigerator. Put away the things you normally leave sitting out.

Again, there's nothing wrong with having things on your refrigerator.

Mine does too.

I'm just not selling my house. 😂

I had a seller once who did all of this. We went through her house, talked about what needed to be packed away, what needed to be decluttered and how we wanted the house to show, and she did it.

Then she started looking at homes for her own move.

After walking through a few houses, she told me, “Now I understand why you had me do all of that.”

Suddenly she was looking at homes as a buyer, and she could see exactly how much all those little things mattered.

Clean Means REALLY Clean

Once you've removed some of the clutter, it's time to clean.

And I mean deep clean.

Not just vacuuming and wiping off the counters.

Look at the windows and window sills. The blinds. Baseboards. Ceiling fans. Light fixtures. Doors. Cabinet fronts. The areas around the tub and shower. The little places where dirt and dust collect that you don't really notice anymore.

Bathrooms should be clean and uncluttered. Put away the everyday products and, when it's time for photos and showings, put out some nice clean towels.

Then look at the lights.

Every bulb needs to work. And if there are three bulbs in the same fixture, let's not have one yellow bulb and two bright white ones.

You'd be surprised how much those little things stand out, especially in photographs.

And Then There's the Smell

This is a big one.

We get used to the way our own homes smell.

I have a dog. I live in my house every day. I'm sure there are some smells that I don't notice anymore because I live there.

The same thing happens with pet odors, litter boxes, carpets, furniture, cooking and even an HVAC filter that needs to be changed.

Cigarette smoke is particularly difficult. Even if someone only smokes in the garage or outside, smoke can travel inside on clothing and settle into fabrics.

For buyers, smell can be an immediate turnoff.

The answer isn't to plug in twelve air fresheners before a showing. That can be just as distracting and may make buyers wonder what you're trying to cover up.

We need to figure out where the smell is coming from and deal with the source as much as possible.

Sometimes you need someone who doesn't live in the house to tell you what you can no longer smell yourself.

Take Care of the Things We Can Address Before Listing

Two of the big things I like to have checked before we put a house on the market are the roof and the foundation.

We'll have a roofer and a foundation company come out and take a look. Typically, there's not a charge for them to come out and evaluate.

Those are two things buyers and agents ask me about all the time, so I'd rather know where we stand before we put the house on the market.

If everything looks good, great.

If something needs attention, we can talk about it and decide what makes sense before there's a buyer involved.

Then there are the things you already know aren't working.

Maybe there's a running toilet you've been meaning to fix. A dripping faucet. An exterior door that's difficult to lock or unlock. Caulking around a tub that needs some attention. A light that doesn't work.

Those are things I'd rather have you take care of now than have the buyer's inspector call them out and then have the potential of the buyer asking for a professional to take care of them.

That doesn't mean we're going to start replacing and updating everything in sight.

Before you spend money on anything, let's talk about it.

Sometimes spending the money makes sense.

Sometimes it absolutely doesn't.

Walk Outside and Turn Around

Before we're finished, we're going outside.

I want you to walk toward the street, turn around and look at your house the way someone seeing it for the first time will.

How does it look?

Do the shrubs need trimming? Are there dead plants that need to go? Is the walkway clean? Are there hoses, trash cans or other things we could move out of sight?

Then take a really good look at the front door and everything around it.

Sweep the porch. Clean the door. Get rid of the cobwebs. Make that whole area look clean and inviting.

Here's something sellers don't always think about: it takes an agent a couple of minutes to open the lockbox and get everyone inside.

And what are the buyers doing while they're waiting?

They're standing at your front door looking around.

They're noticing the cobwebs, the dirt in the corner, the dead plant sitting beside the door and whatever else is right in front of them.

You want that area looking its best.

And yes, do I have cobwebs around my own front door?

I do.

But once again, I'm not selling my house. 😂

Take a look at the house itself too. Is there any wood rot that needs attention? That's something an inspector is going to notice, and there's also the possibility that an appraiser may call it out.

You don't necessarily need to spend a fortune on landscaping.

We just want the house to look clean, cared for and inviting.

That's the first impression a buyer gets, and they haven't even opened the front door yet.

You're Getting Your House Ready to Sell, Not Erasing Your Life

When you've lived somewhere for a long time, getting it ready to sell can feel like a lot.

You've got years of belongings, routines and memories wrapped up in that house.

I'm not trying to turn it into a model home where it looks like nobody has ever lived there.

I'm trying to help buyers see past your things and really see the house: the rooms, the storage, the light, the layout and how they might live there.

That's why having another set of eyes can be so helpful.

You've been looking at your home every day.

I'm looking at it as someone who wants to help you sell it.

If you're preparing a longtime home for sale in Dallas-Fort Worth, I'd be happy to walk through it with you and help you figure out what needs attention, what doesn't and where it makes sense to spend your time and money.

And remember, I'm not judging your house. I'm trying to help you sell it.

Want a little help getting each room ready? Take a look at my Staging Tips Checklist.

Give me a call or text at 214-842-6001.