The Ultimate Checklist for Preparing to Sell Your Home

Are you preparing to sell your home? This moving out checklist includes our top tips for how to sell a property and find a reliable moving company to help. 

Are you looking to sell your home? Taking time to prepare, including taking care of inspections, repairs, decluttering, deep cleaning, and creating a move-out checklist, can have a significant impact on the success of your sale. Follow these tips for preparing to sell your home to keep yourself organized as well as increase interest and potential offers. 

The First Steps in Preparing to Sell a Home 

When homeowners first start preparing to sell their homes, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with all the necessary “to dos.” However, if you take the process slowly and create a realistic timeline and goals based on personal responsibilities, market trends, and other variables, the process becomes more manageable. Let’s look at some important first steps in preparing to sell your home. 

Assess Your Home's Condition 

As with many other things, homes can break down over time due to normal wear and tear. When you live in a space, minor imperfections like chipped tile and stains on the carpet may not seem like a big deal, but that changes when you are preparing to sell your home. Buyers will scrutinize every element of your space, so it's important to address issues from the start. This includes taking care of both large and small repairs that can impact the impression and ultimate value of your home. 

Most sellers will want to start with a pre-listing home inspection where you pay a professional home inspector to go through every room in your house to assess all major systems and functions. This inspection report may reveal various issues, such as a leaky roof or outdated water heater, that could affect the value of your home. This inspection gives you the opportunity to decide which repairs to make yourself and which ones to negotiate with buyers.

Keep in mind that some repairs may be necessary to complete the sale without reducing the price. Taking time to assess your home and complete necessary repairs or upgrades before putting it on the market can save you time and hassles down the road. 

Declutter and Deep Clean 

According to AARP, the average homeowner stays in their home for 13 years. That is a lot of time to accumulate possessions, which often end up in closets, unused rooms, drawers, and corners. Part of preparing your home for sale includes a targeted decluttering plan to rid your home of items that you no longer use.

Once decluttering is complete, it’s time to make the space shine. Deep clean both the remaining items (e.g., furniture) as well as the home itself. This is essential because you want to make potential buyers see your home as a place where they can make a fresh, clean start in a new space. 

Create a Moving Out Checklist 

With a solid plan in place, selling a property could happen quickly, leading to a quick turnover from the moment you close until the moment when the sale is complete, and you move out. To help streamline the moving process, it’s smart to create a move-out checklist to keep you organized.

Generally used for tenants turning over a rental to their landlord, move out checklists take you room-by-room to ensure that all spaces are clean, inspected, and ready for the new resident. Even if you choose to work with a residential moving company, a move-out checklist helps ensure that all the essentials are covered before you leave. 

Determine Necessary Tasks Before Moving Day 

When you sell your home, there are several important tasks to take care of beyond preparing the home itself. This includes essentials like ensuring utilities and warranties are transferred to the new owners and gathering important documents, including appliance users’ guides, tax documents, insurance documentation, and HOA documents. 

You also want to start making moving inquiries with local companies well in advance of your move. Be sure to research which services each company offers and take steps early to get your name on their schedule, especially if you plan to move during the busy summer season. 

Create a Packing Plan

Another important part of making your move-out checklist is creating a packing plan that takes into account both the listing period as well as your ultimate move. Some sellers look into self-storage availability when listing their homes to help with the decluttering process without the need to get rid of all their belongings.

Stress Free Moves Are Possible with the Right Preparation 

Moving and preparing to sell your home can seem daunting, but the move can be exciting and stress-free when you have the right team of people to help you. Mabey’s Moving and Storage is a reliable and experienced moving company in Albany who is ready to help Capital District clients through every step of their home’s sale, from packing and storing to moving after the closing. We are also professional international movers with the experience and assets needed to help you sell your home and start over anywhere in the world. Contact us today to learn more and get a free quote.