Preparing a House for Sale: Essential Steps for a Fast Sale

In the first blog, I told you about the milestones for every successful sales agent that uses my unique system to get out of real estate seller rut! I am providing you with five milestones to get you to sell houses at top prices with staging and design. Now, I am going to show you how to prepare the house and get it ready for the ultimate sale.

The most important thing about preparing the house for sale is to have a timeline! You’ll need to know how long you and the client have to prepare. It’s good to be on the same schedule because we want everyone involved to understand what is going on. If contractors are hired for improvements, include them in the timeline as well.

Have a detailed list of what to do each day. Make it clear and precise. Today, we will make repairs. Tomorrow the painters arrive, and the next day the cleaners deep clean. Be sure to schedule exact dates and times of goals. This must happen before any staging and design can take place.

Include a system where you check up on the client every other day or have an agreement with the client that will include you calling them. Remember, this is usually a stressful time for the one selling their house. Be the positive influence they need. Call regularly and ask if they were able to complete a checklist item, or ask them if they need help making calls or doing something.

You’ll need to remind the client of the plan and the importance of it because it will create a smooth transition. You are the middle man between any contractor and the clients. So make sure that you are on top of this, and regularly contacting the client will get things done. That’s your job.

If you make this a smooth process for them and they feel comfortable, the house sells fast, they’re going to refer you to all of their friends, and that’s the key.

Professional deep cleaning is the utmost important thing that I can not express enough! A client can not clean the house by themselves. No one can. Stressed humans miss the little things that cameras and buyers will see. Please, Please, Please emphasize over and again that the house needs a deep cleaning inside and out!

Be aware that staging will happen after the deep cleaning because it takes a few days for carpets to dry in our wet Northwestern habitat. I can’t place brand new furniture on wet carpets. 

It is also an excellent idea to have your Seattle expert professional photographer come the next morning immediately after I have staged the house. You need the brightest morning light available because lighting fades during the day.

Tell your clients that you have an excellent plan that you follow with all of your clients. It’s a sure-fire way that gets homes listed on time and sold fast at a high price.

I have created a general list of essential items for preparing the house for sale.

1. Customize a timeline with a target goal date.
2. Make repairs inside and outside of the house with possible landscaping for curb appeal.
3. Be sure your contractors, clients, and stagers are all on the same page.
4. Hire professional painters.
5. Hire professional deep cleaners.
6. Keep in contact with your client continuously.
7. Sell house fast, easy, and get a referral.

I hope you are enjoying my blog series just for realtors! Without Northwestern Washington’s best real estate sales experts, we could not join together for the partnership that I am so proud to be a part of. There is nothing I am more passionate about than a fantastic, educational, and successful experience that promotes selling a home with Brilliant Staging & Design.

Please feel free to use these steps for preparing a house for a fast sale in your next real estate transactions. My next blog will focus on how to hire a professional photographer and how to spot a good one.

I go into even more detail on my podcast on Spotify (Free for three months!) or Anchor.fm about how to have a proper client consultation and sell your house with Brilliant Staging & Design. 

Whether you are in the Real Estate profession, interior design, or even decorating, Brilliant Staging can help you grow and excel. I have a passion for harnessing the power of forward-thinking and trend-casting in the staging industry that is cutting edge. Designed for the modern time, check out the Brilliant Staging Podcast. (https://anchor.fm/brilliant-staging)

Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter with all the suggestions, tips, advice, and lessons from Seattle’s experts in Home Staging by Brilliant Staging & Design. Call today to start your marketing plan for a successful home staging at 1.360.581.9660 or send an email to [email protected].

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