How Early Can You Prepare Your Home For Sale?

| Selling

We could take the easy route here and simply say it’s never too early to start prepping your home for sale. But a more detailed answer will help you eager beavers decide if you have time to cool your jets, or if you should let your inner over achiever take the lead.

Here’s our longer version explaining why the sooner the better is the best strategy, and when, if ever you can afford to wait a bit.

Your Incentive

Why it matters:

Urgency often dictates how soon you need to start preparing, whether it’s a stressed out right now situation or a leisurely I’ll move when I find something better kind of scenario.

So, what’s driving you to sell? For example, if you’ve found managing your mortgage is becoming too expensive, you’re moving for a career opportunity, or you’re going through a divorce, you’re going to have a stronger sense of urgency. On the other hand, deciding to downsize or upsize, wanting to move to a different neighbourhood, or looking for an area that allows you to ride your bike to work gives you more control over your timelines so you can afford to wait a bit.

Planning a home sale soon? Here are some posts that might help you out:

Your Home

Why it matters:

The challenge is that every home is different. A perfect home (which usually doesn’t exist) might only require three weeks to prepare, while a less than perfect home can take four months or more.

We can set a timeline based on whether you need to tackle all or just a few of the following tasks:

  • Decluttering: Just about everyone can benefit from decluttering their home before a sale. This showcases your ample storage, creates a more organized home, and also opens up living space by removing unnecessary furniture.
  • Depersonalizing: Removing personal touches such as your photo gallery wall, collections of your latest obsession, art that might feel too specific taste-wise, and startling design accents allows buyers to see less of your personality and more of the space’s finer points.
  • Minor repairs and major cleaning: Repairs can range from repairing hinges on wonky kitchen cabinet doors to something like replacing a broken light fixture or leaky faucet. These are the nitpicky things that make a home feel unloved and in need of maintenance. You might also require some exterior repairs like patching the roof, caulking windows, or repairing stuck sliding glass doors. A deep cleaning will create a fresh, sanitized space where buyers won’t feel the “ick.”
  • Simple upgrades: Unfortunately, buyers can’t see past the orange-tinged kitchen cabinets, an overabundance of white metal on faucets, cabinet handles and light fixtures, dreaded popcorn ceilings, or dingy paint colours that all scream this is going to cost you money. Buyers are looking for move-in ready homes and expect to see typical upgrades that make a space feel modern. Some upgrades might include:
    • Fresh paint on walls and trim
    • New kitchen backsplash/counters
    • Painted kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities
    • New kitchen cabinet hardware
    • New bathroom mirrors
    • Modern light fixtures
    • Removing old carpeting
  • Replacements: This is a big decision you should make with your real estate team to avoid seriously low-ball offers. The following things will show up during a home inspection which means buyers will ask for major discounts to cover the costs of replacement. In these pay me now or pay me later scenarios, we find covering the upfront costs often increases offers making them worthwhile investments. Replacements might include:
    • HVAC systems
    • Roofs
    • Windows
    • Front doors
    • Plumbing or electrical (if there are known existing issues)
    • Flooring
  • Curb appeal: Improvements to curb appeal are usually needed to some extent, even if it’s just putting a pretty urn by your front door. Things like peeling paint, unkempt gardens, and dangerous steps all require TLC before you list.
  • Staging: Neutral furnishings, artwork, areas rugs, etc. and a few tweaks to define spaces will make your home presentable.

Preparing your home for sale is a big step in the listing process. Here are a few more posts you might find interesting:

Your Location

Why it matters:

Homes in less desirable locations can sit on the market longer, meaning you might have to put in more effort to make your home attractive.

The above says it all. Homes in high-demand locations require less work and sell faster because buyers are chomping at the bit to own a little slice of heaven. You might have to put in more time and effort to prepare a home in less desirable areas to make your home irresistible.

The Bottom Line

The more perfect your home, the less time it takes to prepare to sell. That said, we always advise people to start looking for an agent at least four to six months out from the time they hope to list their home. We can assess your home and create a plan and schedule to help you sell quickly and for top dollar. Oh, and if this is an urgent situation, no worries. We’ll roll up our sleeves and switch our setting to high priority to make sure your home sells fast.

Whether you’re considering selling or anxious to list, The Christine Cowern Team can help. Give us a call at 416.291.7372 or email us at hello@christinecowern.com. We’d love to work with you!