“Wow, why didn’t this place look like this when we lived here?!” This is exactly what my wife and I thought when we were selling our home in Oakland a few years ago.
We had lived in that duplex since moving to the Bay Area, and during that time, we’d painted, improved the landscaping, updated the kitchen, and more. Yet nothing could have prepared us for the incredible look and feel that was created as we were preparing to sell our home.
When we really buckled down to get the home ready for sale, our home was completely transformed. When we walked through the front door, it seemed like we were walking into a West Elm catalog, and once the home hit the MLS (Multiple Listing Service), we received multiple offers within days, all well above asking price.
In a hot market like Oakland and the East Bay, it can feel like a nerve-wracking and daunting experience to prepare to put your home on the market. How do you make sure your house will stand out? What’s worth investing in, and what do you leave for the next owner? What if you need to move quickly, have a lot of repairs to make, or are not sure how to price your house properly?
In this article, we’ll share with you the exact steps you need to take when you prepare your home for sale in Oakland, the East Bay, and beyond.
Here’s what one of our recent clients had to say about working with our team to get their house ready to sell:
“[The Joe Dickerson Group] sold my home in the middle of a pandemic and you would never have known it with how smoothly everything went from listing to closing, and we got $100K over asking. They are wonderful to have on your side seeing you through one of the most important events in your life!” – Drew C.
#1 – Choose The Right Agent
While it might be tempting to save a few bucks to sell your home yourself and list it as a FSBO (For Sale By Owner), you can potentially lose out on hundreds of thousands of dollars in the ultimate sale price.
Professional real estate agents know this complex Bay Area market like the back of their hand. They stay on top of the latest home selling trends, local ordinances, and best practices. Strong and experienced local real estate agents can help you determine when and how to list your house for sale in order to reach your goals and find the right buyer.
When looking for the right real estate agent to sell your property, look for someone who has a strong track record, first and foremost. Ask friends and family for referrals to excellent agents they’ve worked with, or search Yelp or Google reviews.
The right agent for you will be someone who has a strong track record, whose communication style gels with your own, and who takes your personal goals into account.
Related: Seller Case Study – North Oakland 3-Bedroom / 2-Bathroom Home
#2 – Determine Your Selling Strategy And Goals
This brings us to the second step in the process, which any good real estate agent will guide you through. Before rearranging furniture, making repairs, updating that kitchen, or determining the asking price, you should work with your agent to determine your selling strategy and goals.
Are you looking to sell as quickly as possible, or do you have a more flexible timeline? Are you aiming to get a specific price for the home? What’s your budget for repairs and improvements?
What about your long-term strategy for building wealth for your family through this and future real estate assets?
Work with your agent to nail down your selling strategy and goals so that they can help you optimize the process, strategize around your budget and timeline, attract the optimal buyer pool, and help you achieve the success you’re looking for.
Once you’ve partnered with the right agent for you and determined your selling strategy and goals, it’s time to prep your house physically so that it shines. Your agent should have a checklist and team to help you through this process, but we’ll walk you through the main steps here.
#3 – Boost Curb Appeal
First impressions count. One of the first things a potential buyer will see when they find your home online or attend a showing is the front of your home, so you’ll need to take some time to boost curb appeal.
Make sure to remove any weeds in your front yard, trim overgrown plants, and consider planting new flowers or shrubs. Even just adding a few small plants can go a long way.
Consider replacing an old or broken fence, giving your front door a fresh coat of paint, or power-washing your driveway or windows. Keep your front porch nice and tidy, and make use of storage space to keep walkways and other spaces free and open.
If your house hasn’t been painted in several years, or if your home’s exterior paint is chipping, consider getting the home professionally painted. This is one of the top investments you can make when preparing your home for sale and can help you make your house stand out to potential buyers.
#4 – Clean The Outside
While you’re at it, take a close look at the entire outside of your house, including the front porch, backyard, driveway, side yard, deck, and other areas. During any showings, the outside of your house is the first thing that buyers will see.
Be sure to put away any kids’ toys and bikes, clean your barbecue, sweep the stairs and walkways, have a gardener remove weeds and trim plants, make sure all your exterior lights work and your roof looks good, and remove any cobwebs, stray garbage, and old leaves.
With the pandemic, outdoor space has never been more important. Over the last several months, we’ve seen people snatch up homes with nicer outdoor spaces very quickly, while homes with beautiful interiors but limited or poorly maintained outdoor spaces may sit on the market much longer.
Take some time to invest in improving the exterior areas of your home, all the way around. People will love it!
#5 – Get An Inspection (optional)
As you may know, the competition here in Bay Area real estate is fierce, so every little thing counts, both on the buyer side and the seller side.
One strategy that may help attract more serious buyers for your house is to get an inspection done before listing your property. This is something we’ve counseled many, many of our sellers to do, and with excellent results.
It may seem backwards, and you definitely don’t need to do it, but it can help to keep an open dialogue with potential buyers about the condition of your property.
In this high-pressure market, it can be good for both you and any potential buyers to have the inspection done early. That way, when buyers submit an offer, there are no surprises that could derail the contract or cause them to come back to renegotiate.
If you disclose everything up front, everyone knows what they’re getting into. This will prevent buyers from backing out because of the roof repairs they didn’t know about, since they’ll have that insight before they ever give you an offer.
Depending on your specific situation, we typically recommend that you get a house inspection either before you make repairs or after.
If you get the inspection done before you make repairs, just be sure to make a note to let buyers know which repairs have already been addressed.
#6 – Make Needed Repairs
You know that list of to-do’s you’ve been meaning to get to? That broken kitchen tile you’ve been putting off fixing, that leaky roof, those electrical issues, or even that finicky window latch – now is the time to address all those things.
Sure, you can leave them for the buyer to address, but that could mean that your house could sit on the market longer or receive fewer and lower offers. You don’t need to make your house better than it is, but you should at least fix many of the things that need to be repaired.
Work with your agent to prioritize and strategize around the repairs that are most critical to make before listing your house for sale. You want to make sure your home is safe, clean, and ready for the next owner.
#7 – Remove Clutter
When potential buyers view photos of your home for the first time or walk through your home, they want to envision their new life in that house. In order to help with that vision, be sure to remove any clutter or extraneous items to make each room look clean and spacious.
Start by packing away those children’s toys, random stacks of papers, boxes of extraneous items, piles of books in the corner, and tchotchkes on your shelves.
Don’t forget to organize your closets as well. During showings, you can count on buyers opening up your closets to get a peek inside.
If you have a garage, attic, or storage space, use it! If you don’t have extra storage space, consider renting some space temporarily, to ensure your home is as clean and decluttered as possible.
Overall, aim for a minimalist look, so buyers can see that there’s plenty of space in each room of your home for all of their personal items.
#8 – Depersonalize
As you’re decluttering and packing things away, take stock of any items in the home that are uniquely you or to your taste. In order to attract more buyers, you’ll want to depersonalize your home as much as possible. Make sure to neutralize and remove any personal items like kids’ art projects, birthday cards, souvenirs from your last trip, and more.
If you painted the walls of your dining room bright pink, you might want to give that room a fresh new coat of neutral gray paint so buyers can see themselves hosting their own dinner parties there.
If you’ve got fun and funky furniture that’s uniquely suited to your tastes, you might consider putting those pieces of furniture in storage and bringing some more neutral pieces into those rooms that might appeal to a broader audience.
The more you can make your home look like something out of a Crate & Barrel catalog, the better!
#9 – Professional Cleaning
No matter how much elbow grease you’re willing to put in, it’s always a good idea to get a professional cleaning, especially if you’ve lived in the home for many years.
A cleaning company knows exactly how to get those stubborn stains out, how to remove any odors, and make everything in your home shine like new so that every showing is a success.
#10 – Professional Staging
Depending on your existing setup, as well as whether or not you’ll be living in the home while it’s being sold, it could be a good idea to invest in staging, either for a single room or for your whole house.
A staging company will assess all the rooms, walls, and nooks in your house and help you optimize each room to highlight the best features to potential buyers. Staging companies have a large vault of furniture pieces, artwork, plants, and other items that they can bring into your home to enliven it, maximize the space, and help buyers envision their life in your home.
#11 – Professional Photography
Once your home is clean, prepped, and staged inside and out, it’s time to get some photos taken. Don’t skimp on this step! While taking photos on your iPhone is free, those photos might not show people all that your home has to offer. We highly recommend that you consider hiring a professional photographer, especially if your home is small or dark.
Professional photography is one of the top investments sellers can make when preparing to sell, as it can frame your home in the best lighting and from the best angles to make every little place in your home shine.
Recap
While the process of preparing to sell your home might seem overwhelming, we think you’ll find that it’s actually quite doable and can even be fun. Start by finding the right real estate agent who knows your local area, has a strong track record, and takes the time to understand your goals.
Your real estate agent should guide you seamlessly through all the steps in this process and strategize with you along the way to stay on budget and within your intended timeline.
For more tips, grab our free guide – How To Get Your Home Ready For Sale.
Looking for more guidance on buying, selling, or investing? Check out our upcoming classes and events!
