Your list before you list

It’s December.  You’re thinking of selling in the spring.  Spring means January or February in the bustling DC Metro market.  What do you do?  Here’s a list to get you started:

  • Change smoke detectors
  • Fresh paint on the walls and trim
  • Weed and update landscaping
  • Professionally clean carpets or replace if needed
  • Have your Air Conditioner and/or Furnace serviced and ducts cleaned
  • Freshen up bathroom grout
  • Declutter!
  • Clean out garage and unfinished spaces
  • Put extra stuff in storage or start purging/donating (123 JUNK is a great resource for both!)
  • Clean light fixtures and windows
  • Patch any holes
  • Fix the little things that have been driving you crazy for years (knobs that don’t lock, bi-fold closet doors that won’t close properly, dents in the walls, rot around the doorways, etc.)
  • Make sure the weather stripping is tight on doors and garage
  • Talk to a Realtor to see if there are any projects you can do that would enhance the sales price or marketability (painting cabinets and vanities, changing out flooring, etc)

I’ve worked with clients who were afraid to have me come see their house too early in the process because they felt their house was not clean enough or they had too much to do before it would be ready to list.  Many times, my list of suggestions is shorter and more straightforward than what they’ve seen on HGTV or online.  It’s always a balance between putting in the effort to sell your home quickly for maximum proceeds and not going overboard with expensive projects that will not realistically be recouped at settlement with the sales price.   Talking to a Realtor early in the process has the added benefit of getting contractor referrals who can potentially take care of the whole list of “to dos” at a competitive price.  At Dwellus, we love taking teaser photos prior to listing the property so we can run a robust “Coming Soon” campaign on our website and on social media.  If your kitchen and bathrooms are stellar and you are just working on decluttering the rest of the house, give us a call and we can get those rooms photographed now and begin marketing!  There may be snow on the ground in January and February but we find every year that the early bird still gets the worm. 

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