What to Do to Sell Your House: A 14-Tip Home Selling Checklist

You’re getting ready to list your house for sale. As a good agent knows, there are certain steps to take to help your sale go as smoothly as possible.

HomeLight has compiled a checklist of effective home preparation and staging tips based on research and expert advice from Chris Pappalardo, ranked in the top 2% of agents in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Edward Kaminsky, who works with 66% more single-family homes than the average Manhattan Beach, California, agent. Here’s what to do to sell your house.

“The more of those things you do up front, the less it’s going to cost you. If you address them yourself or hire a handyman, it’s going to be far less expensive than when the buyer demands that a contractor do the repairs,” Pappalardo says.

What to do to sell your house

To keep you on track, we have provided a list of things almost every seller should do to get ready to make top dollar.

1. Partner with a top real estate agent

If you don’t already have one, HomeLight’s Agent Finder can help you locate a top agent in your area within minutes. This free service analyzes more than 27 million transactions and reviews to determine the best agent for you.

Our data shows that the top 5% of real estate agents sell homes for up to 10% more than the average agent — and they often do it faster.

Working with an experienced real estate agent means better exposure for your house.

“Exposure means money,” Kaminsky says. “The more people that know about the home, the more likely you’re going to get the highest price for the house.”

Kaminsky believes that buyers who use real estate agents are serious buyers who are prepared to spend to get what they want and that those looking at FSBOs are looking for bargains because the seller isn’t paying a commission to a real estate agent.

There are many benefits to listing with a top real estate agent, from pricing to paperwork to negotiating with buyers and more. “Handing it all to an expert [who has] been through that can make a significant difference,” Kaminsky says.

Top agents know what buyers want and what features help homes sell for the best price. They know which investments can increase your home’s value by as much as 35% — and what changes not to make.

“I beg my sellers not to spend any money before I come over, because they usually spend too much money on the wrong stuff,” Pappalardo says.