9 Things to Do Before You Sell Your House in Boston

If you’re thinking about selling your home in Boston, your REALTOR® will walk you through everything you need to do before you list it for sale – but in the meantime, check out these nine tasks you can tackle right now.

For most people, prepping a home to sell it is the toughest part of the real estate transaction – but that’s often because they don’t know where to start. This guide walks you through nine things you need to do before you list your home for sale, and if you can complete even a small number of them, you’re ahead of the game. These are some of the most important tasks:

Hire a professional cleaning team
Declutter your space and move things to storage
Boost your curb appeal
Have your HVAC system inspected
Call in a professional roof inspector
Check your gutters and drainage systems
Update faucets and light fixtures where necessary
Replace personalized decor
Clean out your garage and storage spaces

Here’s a closer look at each.

Pre-Sale Task #1: Hire a professional cleaning team

When you sell a home, it’s not just about the structure – you’re selling a lifestyle. Buyers want a home that’s easy to clean and maintain, so by showing them an immaculately clean space, you’re showing them that the lifestyle they’re after is attainable if they buy your house.

For most people, the best way to deep-clean is to bring in a team of professionals. They’re efficient and effective, and they know which places need the most attention (like floorboards). When you hire a team of professionals for a one-time cost, all you have to do is maintain what they’ve done until your house sells – so you’ll save yourself a lot of time.

Pre-Sale Task #2: Declutter your space and move things to storage

Decluttering adds more visual space to your home, so when you’re preparing your house to sell, take out everything you haven’t used in the past three months. You can donate, sell or store items – but they need to find a new (even temporary) home for now.

Pre-Sale Task #3: Boost your curb appeal

Most buyers know whether they like or dislike a house within five minutes, and that timer starts as soon as they pull up in your driveway. That means you have to make the most of the first impression people get outdoors; they’ll carry that impression inside the house with them, so it needs to be good. Take some time to:

Replace your house numbers
Repaint or replace your mailbox
Pull weeds and manicure the yard
Add a few potted plants to your porch
Clean and straighten front porch furniture
Make your windows shine
Power-wash the sidewalk and driveway
Put away bicycles and outdoor toys

Pre-Sale Task #4: Have your HVAC system inspected

When you sell your home, your buyer will hire a home inspector, and he or she will check the HVAC system to make sure it’s working properly. It’s in your best interest to have it inspected before a buyer does; that way, if there’s anything wrong with the system, you can make the necessary repairs. If a buyer’s inspector discovers problems with the HVAC system (or anything else in your home), the buyer may choose to use it as a negotiating tool to bring down your home’s sales price – or worse, could decide to walk away from the deal, leaving you to find another buyer at the 11th hour.

Pre-Sale Task #5: Call in a professional roof inspector

Most roofing companies offer free roof inspections once a year, so if it’s been a while since the last time you had yours checked, now’s the time. It’s better to find out about roofing issues before you sell your home so you can make repairs or adjust your price accordingly.

Related: How to think like a buyer

Pre-Sale Task #6: Check your gutters and drainage systems

Your roof inspector will probably check your gutters for you, but it’s a good idea to make sure everything’s in working order on your own. DIY gutter repairs are usually quick, easy and inexpensive, and they can make a huge difference in the impression buyers get when they pull up to your home for a tour.

Pre-Sale Task #7: Update faucets and light fixtures where necessary

If your bathroom or kitchen faucets – or the light fixtures in any room – are dated and make your home look older than it is, you should replace them before you put the house on the market. Faucets and light fixtures are usually simple DIY jobs, and you can find affordable pieces at your favorite home improvement store. While you’re at it, check out your switch plates; if they’re damaged, dated or just not that attractive, you can swap them out for newer models.

Pre-Sale Task #8: Replace personalized decor

When buyers come to your home, your main goal is to get them to envision themselves living there. That’s hard to do with personalized decor up, though. Take down family photos, inspirational quotes and other types of highly personalized decor and replace those pieces with more generic art. Think about your favorite luxury hotel and try to emulate that. You should also take down:

Anything that could be considered risqué
Politically themed decor
Sports team memorabilia
Religious decor

Pre-Sale Task #9: Clean out your garage and storage spaces

Although many sellers look at the garage as an afterthought, it’s important to buyers. Clean and declutter yours, and ensure that everything is put in its proper place. You don’t have to install shelving or storage, but you do have to make sure there’s plenty of room to park inside and that the floor is as clean as it’s going to get.

Do You Need to Talk to a Boston REALTOR About Selling Your Home Fast?

If you’re thinking about putting your home on the market, we can help you sell it quickly and at the right price. Using innovative marketing techniques, we can bring in qualified buyers who can’t wait to see the inside of your home – so let’s talk. Call us at 617-966-2475 or 617-262-3075 now, or fill out the form below, to find out how we’ll help you sell your home in Boston.

If you’re also looking for a new home in the area, check out our: