Checklist for Selling a House

By Kenneth V. Oster, eHow Contributor

First impressions are very important when you begin showing your home

for sale. Potential buyers may only have time for one visit to your home before they make a decision to submit an offer. As you develop your plan to sell your home, you should go through a step-by-step procedure in preparation for listing your home with a real estate company. There are checklists for selling a house that will address your individual situation.

 

 

 

 

 

Essential Decisions

 

• Selling your home is a major financial decision that should be made with an organized approach. A checklist will help you ensure that every important element in the decision to sell has been considered. One of the first items on your checklist may be a consideration of the reasons that are driving you to sell your home. Knowing what your goals are will keep you motivated throughout the entire selling process. You will need to consider which real estate agent you are going to list your home with, and what price you are going to ask for your home. Maybe the most important decision your will need to make is where you will live after your home sells.

 

 

Exterior Items

 

• The first image that a potential buyer receives of your home is the exterior appearance they see as they park at the curb. Shabby paint and shoddy landscaping automatically implants a negative memory in the buyer's mind. During your preparation to sell your house, you should have a checklist that will lead you through the process of improving the exterior appearance of your home and all the surrounding landscaping, sidewalks, driveways and exterior buildings. You must not forget any fences that divide your property from neighbors. Distinctive features that make your house and property stand out in the neighborhood are also important.

 

Interior Items

 

• The first item on the interior checklist for selling your home should be a thorough cleaning project. Next, ensure that all the personal items that you do not want outsiders to see are securely put away. The biggest issue that must be addressed beyond cleaning and putting things away is obvious repairs that need to be completed. Doors and windows that are broken must be repaired, along with holes in the wall and chipping paint on trim and walls. If carpets cannot be sufficiently cleaned they should be replaced. It is possible to provide a buyer with a discount on the home's purchase price for new carpet. The condition of the kitchen and bathrooms must be seriously considered. People who are looking for a home they can move into without major renovations will be looking for kitchens and bathrooms that are clean, in good repair and sanitary.