Before you list

The 30 Day Prep to Sell

One task a day for thirty days. If you fall behind, pick up where you left off. Nobody finishes this perfectly and it still works.

Do not rush this part. It is the cheapest money you will make. A few simple things change the impression you leave on a buyer, and that impression shows up in your price.

Put on your buyer’s hat and walk through your home like it is your first visit. Take notes on what you would notice if you were paying for it. Then fix or replace those things.

I know that sounds like a lot, so I broke it into thirty days, one task at a time. Some days take twenty minutes. A couple take a weekend. One of them is a rest day, and I mean it.

Thirty days of discipline is worth more than thirty thousand of renovation.

Thirty days at a glance

Inside out, then top to bottom, then the parts buyers see first. There is a reason for the order.

• Days 1 to 2. Get set. Light bulbs, fixtures, and the paperwork buyers will ask for.
• Days 3 to 5. Access and bathrooms. Keys, packing supplies, and the room that gives people the most pause.
• Days 6 to 7. Kitchen and bedrooms. The two emotional rooms. This is where offers get decided.
• Days 8 to 10. Living, dining, garage. The rooms people picture themselves using.
• Days 11 to 13. Storage and entry. Buyers open closets. And you get fifteen seconds at the front door.
• Days 14 to 16. Depersonalize, rest, paint. Take yourself out of the house, then take a day off.
• Days 17 to 19. Repairs, windows, curb appeal. The never done list, and the view from the street.
• Days 20 to 23. Backyard, floors, walls. Outdoor living counts double in Florida.
• Days 24 to 26. Deep clean, kids, pets. The parts you stopped noticing years ago.
• Days 27 to 30. Walk through, photos, done. Then step back and do not touch anything.

Days 1 to 2. Get set.

Change light bulbs and update light fixtures

It is easy to forget the bulbs that burned out over the years. You want this home as bright as it can be, because lighting changes how a house reads more than almost anything else you can do for the money. If your fixtures are dated, and a lot of ours are, pick up something simple and current.

Pull the paperwork together

Buyers and agents will ask a lot of questions, so start digging now. Utility bills, tax bills, renovation details, warranties, permits, survey, mortgage details, any rental contracts, and your wind mitigation report if you have one. Put it all in one folder before we list. Having answers ready keeps small questions from turning into price reductions.

Brightness is the cheapest upgrade in the entire guide.

Days 3 to 5. Access and bathrooms.

• Make an extra set of keys. We put a lockbox on or near your front door so agents can get in when showings are scheduled and you are not stuck racing home.
• Get real packing supplies. A big part of this month is reducing clutter. Under a hundred dollars gets you proper supplies and saves a surprising amount of stress. If a lot is going out, look at a portable storage container.
• Tackle the bathrooms. Every toiletry off the counter. Buy new white towels and do not let anyone use them. If the toilet seat, shower curtain or bath mat have seen better days, replace them.

Why any of this works

The work you do in these thirty days is what makes a buyer feel something the second they walk in. Feeling is what makes people write a strong offer. Everything else is just square footage.

You do not have to do it alone either. We check in along the way, and I have referral vendors for everything you would rather not touch yourself. Painters, handymen, cleaners, window people, landscapers.