22 Steps to Prep Your House For Sale and Sell For More Money

8. Let in the sunshine

There’s nothing like walking into a room flooded with bright sunshine! The house will feel larger, cleaner, and more inviting than dark rooms that feel closed off. So do yourself a favor and always open all of the window treatments in your home.

9. Pre-appraisal

A top real estate agent will always run a comparative market analysis (CMA) to determine how much your house is worth. Still, a pre-appraisal can be helpful – especially if you’re trying to sell your house independently. Taking this step can help you get ahead of any problems, so they don’t become unwelcome surprises just as you’re getting ready to seal the deal.

10. Neutralize foul odors

Homeowners who have pets or smoke tend to go nose-blind and cannot tell if their home is plagued with foul odors — but buyers certainly can! Unfortunately, despite what commercials for air fresheners say, you cannot simply plug something in or spray something into the air to eliminate odors.

To help remove tobacco odors, Tudisco recommends running a humidifier for a couple of days and opening the windows before a showing, though more aggressive steps requiring professionals may be needed.

Pet odors, especially cat urine, are a common issue that requires more than just opening windows. Cat urine, in particular, can be really bad. “You have to replace the carpet and make sure you replace the floorboards underneath because just priming the floorboards before laying new carpet down won’t hide it. I had a client who tried to cover the cat urine smell with Glade Plugin or something — so it smelled like flowers mixed with pee!”

Words of wisdom: “You don’t want to be overwhelmed by these plugins and candles, and you don’t want to be overwhelmed by pet odor. You want a nice neutral, clean smell,” says Bare.

Prep your house for sale: Tasks you may not have thought about

1. Look up your home address

In 2024, all buyers used the internet to look for their home, so it’s important to know what buyers see when they come across your listing. First, search your home’s address and read through the property’s details to ensure they’re correct.

If your property shows up on Google Maps street view, look to see if it shows any new updates to the exterior of your home. If not, be sure to include the updates in your listing.

2. Conduct a pre-listing home inspection

In most cases, home inspections are unavoidable. Porch surveyed 1,000 people who bought a home and revealed that 88% of buyers order home inspections before closing, and 83% of mortgage lenders even require it.

As a seller, pre-listing inspection is like an ace up the sleeve. Instead of waiting for the results of a buyer-requested home inspection and having to either negotiate or make the repairs, you’re well ahead of the game. A pre-listing inspection will reveal any repairs that need to be made, help determine a price point, encourage more substantial offers, etc.

3. Hire a professional photographer

The real estate agent you’re working with should have a few professional photographers in their network to call upon to take great photos of your property. However, in today’s age, pictures aren’t enough. If the photographer your agent recommends doesn’t offer it already, look for a professional photographer who can do a video walkthrough and aerial photography.

Since many buyers start their search online, the more they can see your property, the better it is for you. The video walkthrough can give buyers a sense of the flow of the house. At the same time, aerial photography can highlight your property and the surrounding area, thus giving potential buyers a full view of the property.

4. Boost curb appeal

You may have pressure-washed the exterior of your home, spruced up the front entryway, and patched up any cracked concrete, but that’s not going to be enough to wow potential buyers.

If you have a little extra money, there are a variety of curb appeal projects that will give you a good return on your investment.

Curb appeal projects with high ROI include:

• Basic yard care: cut grass, fertilized lawn, and weed control (estimated cost: $340)
• Three cubic yards of bark mulch to be delivered and laid out (estimated cost: $275)
• Landscaping upgrade to include new walkway, flower bed, shrubs (cost: $4,500)
• Paint home exterior (estimated cost: $3,200)
• Install new garage door (estimated cost: $1,200)

“As the weather gets better, you want to take advantage of improving curb appeal. Just cleaning up your yard first and then decluttering would be the number one thing where I would start,” Favela recommends.

5. Think about small details

Small things like a bowl of bright fruit on the kitchen counter, a bench near the door, or a basket of fresh white towels may not seem like it makes an impact, but it makes a big difference to buyers. Small things like those examples can make a bland room feel lived in and welcoming.

6. Wipe down light switches, door handles, and outlet covers

Let’s be honest: how many times have you wiped down the light switches, door handles, or outlet covers in your home? Although they aren’t that noticeable, we come in contact with them regularly, and they can get pretty dirty! Fortunately, it doesn’t take time to wipe them down (just be careful when cleaning the outlet covers).

7. Adjust the thermostat

The ideal temperature range for comfortable living is between 68 to 76 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite what the U.S. Department of Energy says, 68 degrees Fahrenheit may be on the cold side for some people coming to see your house, so you may want to increase the temperature a couple of degrees, the sweet spot being between 70 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. You want to make sure potential buyers are comfortable, regardless of the season!

8. Take out the garbage and recycling

Before potential buyers arrive, make sure the garbage and recycling have been taken out. If need be, wash the bins to remove any lingering odors. No one wants to see your empty cola bottles or smell the leftovers from yesterday’s spaghetti!

9. Prepare arrangements for pets on open house and showing days

Although your house may not reek of pet odors, buyers may not harbor the same enthusiasm for your pets as you do. When possible, take your pet out on an outing or arrange for someone to watch your pet while potential buyers are at your home so they can tour your home in peace.

10. Consider professional staging

Staging a house may seem like an unnecessary added expense (the average range is $1,500 to $4,000), but it can make a difference. Although staging is just cosmetic, a well-staged home can help buyers envision themselves living in the home.

“If a key room is going to be vacant, like a master bedroom, primary living room, family room, or dining room, we’ll do virtual staging so they can at least visualize the room,” Tudisco adds.

11. Be honest in the seller’s disclosure

If you choose to forego a pre-listing inspection, you still need to report known issues in the seller’s disclosure document. This is especially important for severe issues like a basement that floods, a leaking bathroom sink, or a hairline crack in the foundation because it lightens your legal liability.

Find out what your state’s mandated disclosures are with our guide.

12. Replace light bulbs

What do you do after you’ve opened the blinds and curtains, even turned on all the lights, but it still looks dark in your room? Switch out the lightbulbs, of course! Older bulbs produce a yellowish light, making everything look old and dated. Plus, buyers appreciate new LED light bulbs (both from an energy standpoint and not needing to replace light bulbs in the foreseeable future), but they produce a much brighter light.

Favela comments: “When you light up a home, it maximizes the space and light in your home — it just gives a different feeling. Changing the lighting can make [a house] sell so much easier.”

Breathe easier when you know how to prep your house for sale

You need to do so many things to prep your house for sale that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But with insight from top real estate agents and HomeLight at your side, you can breathe easier about what to expect every step of the way.

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