10 Moves You Must Make Before Putting Your Home On the Market

Looking to sell your home, quickly and for a good price? Make these moves.

Author:: Brian O'Connell
Publish date:: Jul 31, 2017 9:25 AM EDT

Getting ready to downsize, upsize or move because of a job change? Don't pound that "for sale" sign on the lawn until you cover these ten points on your home sale checklist.

More of What's Trending on TheStreet:

These Are the 5 Worst Tech Stocks to Own
Watch for the Trading Opportunities That Rebalancing Could Offer Today: Market Recon
This Why President Trump Can Now Blame Apple for Atlantic's Reporting
McDonald's Has One Restaurant in Poland That Looks Like the Future of the Golden Arches

A fresh coat of paint on the front door will boost curb appeal, says Gene Caballero, founder of GreenPlan, which has been described as "Uber for lawn care." "A front door is one of the first focal points that onlookers see," Caballero states. "Giving it a new coat of point will certainly make it stand out."

For buyers, one major requirement is that a property has plenty of storage space. "Some buyers even go so far as opening up closets and rifling through the seller's personal belongings to get a better feel for the storage space size," notes Evan Harris, CEO at SD Equity Partners. "In order to make your closets appear larger and, thus, more desirable, remove all or most of your clothing and other stored items before showing your house. Buyers will love the perceived amount of storage space and will be able to picture storing their own items there."

It¹s "location, location, location" when you buy a house but it's "clean, clean, clean" when you sell a house, says Nancy Brook, a real estate agent in Billings, Mont. "Home buyers are repelled by any signs of dirt, dust or grime," says Brook. "So clean everything: all surfaces, flooring, carpets, walls, baseboards, bathrooms, kitchen. Go beyond the obvious by cleaning baseboards, light fixtures, blinds, cupboard doors and closets."

Physically, you want to focus on decluttering your home before trying to sell it, Brook states. "Most houses feel crowded because the owners have way too much furniture and "stuff" in the house," she explains. "Make a goal of eliminating at least half of what is in your house. Sell your excess at a garage sale, donate or put in a storage unit. Buyers like to envision their personal items in a house and cannot do so if your stuff is invading the space."

Decluttering doesn't mean taking your furniture out of the home - at least your mainstay pieces. "Don't make the mistake of packing up all of your belongings and trying to sell an empty house," says Andrew Sandholm, a real estate professional with BOND New York, a residential real estate brokerage firm in New York City. Potential buyers cannot visualize how an empty house could transform into their dream home, Sandholm says."Buyers cannot visualize how an empty room could be their perfect living room to come home to and relax after a long day at work," he says. "Leave your furniture, leave your TV, leave your dining room table and chairs and plants. Imagine a showroom at a furniture store. Why do they group the bed with nightstand and the dresser and the lamps all in the same display? Because furniture salesmen figured out people can't imagine what a stand-alone bed would like. They needed to pair it with a night stand and dresser."

There's a lot to be said for a pound of prevention, says Cedric Stewart, residential & commercial sales consultant at Keller Williams in Washington, D.C. "No matter how hot the market is, if a buyer gets scared by a home inspection report they're likely to walk away," Stewart notes. "We tell all of our sellers to get the home inspected before putting it on the market. It gives you an opportunity to avoid surprises down the road, fix items beforehand, and it shows the level of care you exercise as a homeowner, which buyers will appreciate."

"Take a look at public records, your title, and condo records if applicable to ensure a speedy and trouble-free sale," says Esther Hickman, a real estate agent with Compass in Beverly Hills, Calif. Hickman advises checking for deal-breakers - things like unpermitted additions from previous owners, bank error liens, insufficient reserves for financing and upcoming capital expenditures for condos and co-ops.

Nearly every market is a seller's market, says Joanne Cleaver, communications manager at USRealty.com, a digital-based firm that assists customers with selling their homes. "Houses are selling within a three or four weeks a record pace," Cleaver says. "That means that already-recorded home price data is too old. Talk with real estate agents who have houses in your area that are still pending (i.e., under contract). Find out if there was a bidding war. If so, price your house accordingly - up to 1% to 3% more than you might have based on the recently recorded data."

Paint the Front Door

A fresh coat of paint on the front door will boost curb appeal, says Gene Caballero, founder of GreenPlan, which has been described as "Uber for lawn care." "A front door is one of the first focal points that onlookers see," Caballero states. "Giving it a new coat of point will certainly make it stand out."