Is your New Year’s resolution to sell your home? If so, keep reading to see what we’ve come up with to help make the home selling process smooth sailing. Here are our top 10 items to check off your home selling checklist:

Find the right REALTOR® for you: Our team of experts, knowledgeably and competently, cover a wide territory from the Oakland/Berkeley area, continuing east along Highway 24, throughout Lamorinda, the communities along both sides of Highway 680 down to 580, East Contra Costa County and West Contra Costa County serviced by Highway 4, as well as the Sierra Tahoe area. If you want to learn more about the REALTORS® at Dudum Real Estate Group, check out our agent roster, and find an agent that will be the best fit for you.

Set a List Date: There’s nothing like having a deadline to make sure tasks are done in a timely manner. Discuss with your agent to set an ideal list date based on what’s needed to get your home ready for market. Some things to consider are current market activity, do you need to sell to buy, how many repairs are needed, do you want to move out before listing, etc.

Declutter and Depersonalize: Less is definitely more! Getting your home ready for buyers is all about the buyer seeing themselves in your home. If your house is overflowing with stuff, buyers might worry that the house won’t have enough space for their belongings. Not only will clearing clutter help your house look more appealing to buyers, it will also help you once you’ve accepted an offer since some of your things are already packed. You should remove personal items and family photos, as well as bold artwork and bulky furniture that might make the home less appealing to the general public. Creating a blank slate for buyers to see themselves living there and loving it.

Paint and Touch Up Walls: Nothing like a fresh coat of paint to make a space feel new again. Creating a calm, welcoming space by having neutral walls and baseboards, free of blemishes, is key to gaining more buyer interest. Even if the buyers want to paint an accent wall or the off white isn’t quite what they were looking for, starting from a light neutral colored base makes it easier for potential buyers to customize.

Clean, Clean, and Keep Clean: Clean, clean, clean, and then clean some more! When hiring a Dudum Real Estate Group agent, professional photos of your house will be taken. Naturally, you’ll want your house to always look like it does in those pictures. When selling your home, it’s important to keep everything tidy for buyers, and you never know when a buyer is going to schedule a last minute tour. Your agent may hire a professional cleaner to come in prior to photos, but as a seller you are highly encouraged to maintain that cleanliness. Making your bed everyday, doing the dishes and never leaving anything in the sink, wiping down bathroom sinks and counters, and closing the toilet seat lid when you are done in the bathroom is key.

Create Curb Appeal: We’ve all been told don’t judge a book by its cover, but more often than not buyers do judge a home before they ever cross the threshold. Curb appeal can be as simple as doing a quick mow and blow to adding a few seasonal flowers in bloom and fresh mulch. A fresh coat of paint or stain on the front door never hurts either. Make a buyer want to walk through the front door!

Hide Valuables: As agents we do our best to make sure your home and belongings are safe, but you can’t trust everyone who comes into your house, even when you’re trying to sell it. Sometimes things disappear during an open house or during a showing with another agent and there’s little the seller can do to get those things back. Take care to hide your valuables or move them to a safe space away from your home.