Fixed-rate interest on mortgages in America has dropped to under 3 percent. In fact, rates are lower now than they have been at any other point in the last 50 years.

Combine those unprecedentedly low interest rates with the ongoing trend of Americans spending more time than ever in their homes thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and you have the perfect recipe for record home sales in 2021. 

Having a market full of eager buyers doesn’t let sellers off the hook, however. Today’s buyers are informed and clear on their priorities. It’s up to sellers to set up their homes correctly if they want to make a quick, profitable sale. 

Here’s how to prepare to sell your home on the current market in eight easy steps. 

Step 1: Declutter and Depersonalize 

Nearly every homeowner knows that they will need to declutter and depersonalize their home before it goes on the market. What most homeowners don’t know is that making this step the one you do first can make all the other steps faster, cheaper, and easier. 

Decluttering Reduces Storage Needs

When you stage and photograph your home, you’ll want it to look as spacious and organized as possible. That means removing all the extraneous stuff so that your home can shine. For most home sellers, this involves renting a storage space to keep your excess belongings in until you move. 

Getting rid of everything you don’t need, don’t want, or don’t plan to take with you to your next home:

• Saves time later when you’re cleaning, staging, and packing
• Allows you to save money by renting a smaller storage space 
• Saves you money when it comes time to move all your stuff to your new place later

Decluttering Makes Problems Easier to See

It’s not uncommon for possessions to pile up in unused corners and closets or in utility areas such as garages and laundry rooms. Unfortunately, those same areas are often prone to hidden or forgotten damage. 

Clearing out all of your stuff ahead of time enables you, your home inspector, and your realtor to see and identify those problems early on. This reduces stress and unwelcome surprises later in the process. 

Depersonalizing Includes Controversial or Polarizing Items

When you depersonalize, don’t just remove photos, keepsakes, and other items specific to your family. Include items with religious or political connotations in your sweep. While they may seem minor or unobjectionable to you, they can be a serious and instant turn-off to buyers.  

Step 2: Hire a Home Inspector 

Traditionally, it is the buyer’s responsibility to hire a home inspector after they’ve put in an offer on your house. Savvy sellers, however, understand the value of hiring an inspector themselves before putting a house on the market.

This value comes from two places. 

First, physical problems with a house can lead to mortgage lenders refusing to approve buyers for a mortgage on the home unless or until the issue is fixed. This can drag out a sale or even cause it to fall through completely. 

Second, buyers often leverage problems noted in their inspector’s report to force sellers to make concessions such as lowering the home’s sale price.

Getting a preliminary inspection done means that there won’t be any surprises when the buyer’s inspector comes through. Instead, you can:

• Identify potential problem areas
• Give yourself plenty of time to fix those problems before the house goes on the market
• Price your home competitively for its condition
• Avoid last-minute concessions
• Command top dollar for your home

Step 3: Enact Repairs Where Needed

Once you have your inspector’s report in hand, it’s time to start making repairs. Experienced sellers know that even small fixes can make a huge difference in how prospective buyers perceive your home. To that end, look for little things that need addressing such as:

• Burned out light bulbs
• Doors or windows that stick
• Broken appliances or fixtures
• Scuffed paint or other finishes that need touching up

Sellers also need to seriously consider making repairs to larger problem areas that might otherwise scare buyers off. Examples include: 

• Fixing or replacing windows
• Roof replacement or repair
• Patching or leveling sidewalks or driveways in poor condition

Today’s buyers are more hesitant than ever to have work crews in and out of their homes thanks to COVID-19 concerns. If they and their families are at home all day telecommuting to work and school, they will be less able to accommodate big projects, as well. As a result, the majority of buyers are looking for move-in-ready properties. 

Fixing large and small issues around your home so that it presents as a welcoming and hassle-free place to live is critical. 

Step 4: Evaluate Your Upgrade Options

No one wants to dump money into a house they aren’t planning to stay in. But investing in strategic upgrades can: 

• Make your home stand out in a competitive market
• Bring in the right type of buyer
• Deliver a solid return on investment 

For example, high-impact kitchen upgrades are giving sellers a bigger bang for their bucks right now with many Americans spending more time at home cooking for themselves. 

Outdoor spaces are also key draws for buyers in today’s market. Sprucing up your yard doesn’t have to be a big investment, but creating a safe, well-maintained, and visually appealing outdoor living space can prompt buyers to choose you over the competition or to pay your asking price with a smile. 

Step 5: Hire a Realtor and Make a Plan 

After you’ve addressed the most common obstacles to getting your home sold, it’s time to set about finding a realtor to help you sell.

While it may be tempting to try to sell your home yourself, it’s rarely a good idea. Sellers who work with realtors routinely:

• Price their homes more appropriately on the first try
• Get higher selling prices for their homes
• Experience less stress during the sale process
• Save time and money on the documents and other legal aspects of the sale
• Reach a wider and more desirable buyer pool

Once you’ve chosen a realtor, work with them to establish a timeline and a plan for getting your home sold. This will ensure that you’re both on the same page and help you know what to expect from the rest of the process. Your realtor should also be able to provide home selling tips specific to your area that can put you far ahead of the competition. 

Step 6: Get a Home Appraisal 

The next step in your home selling checklist is to have your home appraised. 

Home appraisals are not the same as home inspections. During an inspection, your home is reviewed for its:

• Structural integrity
• Safety
• Compliance with relevant codes

Inspections tell mortgage lenders that your home is a good investment. 

Appraisals evaluate your home’s market value. They take into account:

• The size and condition of your property
• Your local real estate market
• Other recently-sold properties in your area 

An appraisal helps you and your realtor determine the best price-point for your home. 

Step 7: Stage Your Home

Once the appraisal is done, it’s time to stage your property. Staging a home often involves more than the average homeowner expects. In addition to removing clutter and personal items, you need to:

• Deep clean your home, particularly your floors
• Remove window coverings or add lights to make your home as bright as possible
• Organize all closets, cabinets, and other storage areas to maximize the impression that there is plenty of space
• Rearrange furniture to highlight the spaciousness and functionality of every room 
• Bring in new furniture and accessories, where necessary, to give the right appearance and impression

In some cases, your realtor may be able to help you with this. In others, it may be necessary to hire a professional home stager. 

Home stagers can:

• Provide design guidance to help you reach your target buyer
• Provide furniture and accessories for the project
• Physically assist you in setting everything up

Home staging costs vary depending on:

• Your location
• The size of your property
• How long space needs to be staged for
• The amount of furniture and accessories that needs to be brought in

Your realtor should be able to suggest a great stager to work with.

A Note About Curb Appeal

When staging your home, it is vital to include curb appeal in the process. Buyers don’t just look at the inside of your home. Rather they start evaluating and judging your property from the moment they pull up in their vehicle. 

Roofs and siding with moss, mildew, mold, or stains are an instant turn-off. Unkept yards, cracked sidewalks or driveways, and dark or untidy entryways can all predispose buyers against your property before they even make it in the front door.  

Thus, when staging your home, it is important to consider:

• Personalized or polarizing items in your yard or on the exterior of your house 
• Outdated seasonal decorations such as Christmas lights that need to come down
• Overgrown or unkept areas of the yard, including flower beds, fencing, and walkway edging 
• Debris, including gardening implements and kids’ toys, in the yard or on the porch
• Miscellaneous items that can make your space feel cluttered such as wind chimes, garden gnomes, or bird feeders
• Whether safety features such as motion-activated lighting and door locks are in working order
• Whether porches, stairs, and other entryways are clean and well-maintained
• Whether necessary fixtures such as your mailbox and welcome mat are clean and in good shape 

Staging your home can substantially increase your realtor’s bargaining power and help you get the most money for your home, so don’t skimp on this step!

Step 8: Get Professional Quality Photos and Video Taken 

Like home staging, professional photography and video services have shifted from being a nice “extra” to being an essential part of how to sell your house in today’s market. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of buyers began their home searches online. In fact, nearly half of buyers start browsing houses for sale online before they consider speaking to an agent.

Buyers perceive properties with inadequate or poor-quality photos and videos as less desirable. They are also more likely to suspect those properties of hiding problems and quality issues. 

On the other hand, buyers are much more likely to respond positively to and schedule in-person walkthroughs for properties for which extensive and high-quality photo and video are available online. In fact, properties for which drone-captured photos and video are available sell almost 70 percent faster than other, comparable properties. They also tend to sell at higher price points. 

Talk to your realtor about hiring professionals to:

• Take detailed photographs of your home and yard for your online listing
• Take high-quality aerial photographs of your property
• Create a 3D online tour of your home

Listing Your Home 

Once you’ve completed these eight steps, you are ready to list and sell your home! In addition to having your realtor post your property with a Multiple Listing Service (MLS), consider using social media and word of mouth to market your home, as well. With Americans spending an average of about one hour per day on Facebook alone, social media can be a powerful way to reach potential buyers. 

Be sure to discuss the sale negotiation and closing processes with your realtor. This will ensure that you:

• Know what to expect
• Are not hit with last-minute costs or surprises 
• Are on the same page about pricing, concessions, and timelines 

With all of that done, you are free to relax and focus on packing and preparing to move to your next great home! 

How to Prepare to Sell Your Home

Now that you know how to prepare to sell your home, it’s time to get started. Check out our list of the best value home projects to invest in and start decluttering, depersonalizing, and preparing your home to sell today.