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Home Showing Checklist
Preparing Your Home For Sale
Your home has just one chance to make a great impression, and it can with the following “tricks of the trade.” The whole idea is to present a clean, spacious, clutter-free home—the kind of place you’d like to buy. Do a little every day, and before long, your home will be ready to make the impression that it can make the sale.
We can help! Pearce has connections with maintenance and repair professionals too. Our service providers are local, fully insured, licensed and bonded professionals you can count on.
The Importance of Curb Appeal
Why is Curb Appeal so Important when Selling a Home?
A homebuyer’s first impression of a property happens from the street, before the buyer even steps inside. A home’s curb appeal frames the perspective and suggests what buyers can expect to find inside. How well a home presents itself from the street can even determine whether or not buyers even want to take a look inside!
Curb Appeal Checklist
- Mow lawn
- Trim shrubs
- Edge gardens and walkways
- Weed and mulch
- Sweep walkways and driveway, remove branches, litter or toys
- Add color and fill in bare spots with plantings
- Remove mildew or moss from walls or walks with bleach and water or other cleaner
- Take stains off your driveway with cleanser or kitty litter
- Stack woodpile neatly
- Clean and repair patio and deck area
- Remove any outdoor furniture which is not in good repair
- Make sure pool or spa sparkles
- Replace old storm doors
- Check for flat-fitting roof shingles
- Repair broken windows and shutters, replace torn screens, make sure frames and seams have solid caulking
- Hose off exterior wood and trim, replace damaged bricks or wood
- Touch up exterior paint, repair gutters and eaves
- Clean and remove rust from any window air conditioning units
- Paint the front door and mailbox
- Add a new front door mat and consider a seasonal door decoration
- Shine brass hardware on the front door, outside lighting fixtures, etc.
- Make sure doorbell is in good working order
Prepping a Home's Interior for Selling
Clean, Declutter, & Repair
Preparing your house for showings by making repairs, cleaning and decluttering can increase the likelihood of receiving offers soon after you list your home. The longer your home stays on the market, the harder it can be to sell.
Our guide has checklists for how to prepare your home’s interior for sale so you can attract better offers and increase your chances of selling your home quickly.
General Interior Checklist
- Add a fresh coat of interior paint in light, neutral colors
- Shampoo carpeting, replace or remove, if hardwood floors exist
- Clean and wax hardwood floors, refinish if necessary
- Clean and wash kitchen and bathroom floors
- Wash all windows, vacuum blinds, wash window sills
- Clean the fireplace
- Clean out and organize closets, add extra space by packing clothes and items you won’t need again until after you’ve moved
- Remove extra furniture, worn rugs and items you don’t use; keep papers, toys, etc.,
- picked up, especially on stairways
- Repair problems such as loose door knobs, cracked molding, leaking taps and toilets, squeaky doors, closets or screen doors which are off their tracks
- Add dishes of potpourri, or a drop of vanilla or bath oil on light bulbs for scent
- Secure jewelry, cash and other valuables
Room-by-Room Checklists Home Sale Guide
What do I need to do before putting my house on the market?
Presenting your home with its best foot forward can help turn showings into offers. Our room-by-room checklists show how to get your house ready to sell.
Home Showing Guide, Room-by-Room
The Living Room
- Make it cozy and inviting
- Discard chipped or worn furniture and frayed or worn rugs
The Dining Room
- Polish any visible silver and crystal
- Set the table for a formal dinner to help viewers imagine entertaining here
The Kitchen
- Be sure appliances are spotless inside and out (try baking soda for cleaning Formica stains)
- Be sure all appliances are in perfect working order
- Clean often forgotten spots on top of refrigerator and under sink
- Wax or sponge floor to brilliant shine, clean baseboards
- Unclutter all counter space, remove countertop appliances
- Organize items inside cabinets, pre-pack anything you won’t be using before you move
The Bathrooms
- Remove all rust and mildew
- Make sure tile, fixtures, shower doors, etc., are immaculate and shining
- Make sure all fixtures are in good repair
- Replace loose caulking or grout
- Make sure lighting is bright, but soft
- Use guest bathrooms to test fixtures
The Master Bedroom
- Arrange furnishings for a spacious look with well defined sitting, sleeping & dressing areas
- Make the bed with clean bedding
The Attic
- Tidy up by discarding or pre-packing
- Make sure energy saving insulation is apparent
- Make sure air vent is in working order
- Provide strong overhead lighting
The Garage
- Sell, give away or throw out unnecessary items
- Clean oily cement floor
- Provide strong overhead light
- Tidy storage or work areas
- Make sure all bays are available for car storage
The Basement
- Sell, give away or throw out unnecessary items
- Organize and create more floor space by hanging tools and placing items on shelves
- Clean water heater and drain sediment
- Change furnace filter
- Make inspection access easy
- Clean and paint concrete floor and walls
- Provide strong overhead light