We had a home that had hardwood everywhere but tile in the kitchen - we replaced the tile with hardwood and stained it to match so there was continuous flooring throughout and it made the house seem 3x bigger - (everyone commented on how much bigger the house was than they initially thought- it was a small home so it mattered!)

Wow, that's a good idea. Thanks! We have time to consider changing an old floor to match the rest of the house.

1. Detail cleaning every inch and crevice of the house.

2. Repairing or replacing anything that needed it from the sidewalk to the house and in the first 6 rooms a buyer would see, and anything old looking bathrooms, including toilets. Just put in new.

3. Window boxes absolutely stuffed with flowering plants.

4. Painting a fresh color everywhere as much as possible, especially inside closets.

My house sold in 2 hours.

In most places, there is scarce inventory, so I would not do anything more than clean, declutter, repair. You will not get your money back for anything else.

How well do you know your local real estate market?

Talk to a couple of local realtors to get a feel for the market and ask what they think you should do to the house.

Visit local Open Houses to see what comparable houses look like and then track their selling prices, Compare their quality and amenities to those of your house.

You may be doing this as normal yard maintenance, and I didn’t see what climate, but keep up with weeds, pruning — sometimes an area that doesn’t bother the current owner gets out of control and takes time to turn around and maintain a bit rather than facing big job in a short time —also edging, neatness- wouldn’t make any big investments but look at everything with “ buyers’ eyes”. The reason for starting ahead is you can kind of start with the minimum or what you think looks good, and escalate later.

That can be the same with cleaning— I used to think, oh, I’ll just pay for one big cleaning right before listing—but if there’s a grungy area, you have time to see if it cleans up easily or needs more intensive care or minor repairs like caulking, plus you’re also just going through the house with a fine- toothed comb. Also , declutter. Start with stuff that’s an easy “don’t want at all” , but can be thinking of what might need to be boxed up for showing house.

I'll second chispa's advice to go to as many Open Houses as you can and notice what would make you not want to buy the house. For me, it was anything that looked cruddy or dirty, even though obviously I could clean -- it just gave an off feeling, and made me wonder what I couldn't see. I actually spent quite a bit of money on detail cleaning. At one point, I hired the teenage daughter of a friend to sit for hours on the floor cleaning the bottoms and tops of my stair spindles with a toothbrush. I gave her a good hourly rate. ;) Replacing things like worn doorknobs or pitted shower heads I just went to Home Depot and bought whatever was on sale, but it was shiny and new.

I think a buyer who walks into a house knocks off thousands of dollars from their offer for every "gotta-repair-that'' they spot. A new storm door costs $250, but a buyer will offer you $5000 less if yours is warped. So the ROI on a new storm door is pretty fantastic.

Declutter. Clean so it's sparkling looking. Fix anything broken. Get rid of anything that shows it's your house such as personal photos, name signs in the kids rooms, etc. Then clean and declutter some more. That's all you need to do. Nothing else will get you more money despite what HGTV shows.

A clean, fresh house will make your home sell more quickly. It won't add value to it. The same concept applies to things like painting over an unusual color (do not cover it with gray!) or replacing obviously worn or damaged things.

There IS a financial upside to a quick sale so keep that in mind.

May want to get advice from a reputable/knowledgeable realtor or two as the market may not require much to sell.

You mentioned you might be planning a move, so depending on timing, choosing expensive upgrades (kitchens, bathrooms and flooring) may not show a return on your investment. Buyers may have preferred a less expensive home and been able to make their own large upgrades to suit their needs/style.

Seeing your home might help with specifics, but can‘t go wrong with:

Outside: landscaping, deck and fence in good condition, attractive front door, top coated driveway, clean windows to let the sun pour in.

Inside: freshly painted neutral rooms, closet organization, shampooed rugs, any repairs done, new faucets can make a difference, etc. Look around with a fresh eye. There are all kinds of on line articles.

https://www.sengerson.com/how-to-get-your-house-ready-to-sell/

We have our house on the market a bit pricey for the interest climate in Canad but we live in a very clean tidy house because that is how we live. One buyer commented it was too clean and tidy like no one lived there you can't please everyone. I do trully believe cleaning and repairing are a must as id keeping the exterior tidy.

Finish anything that doesn’t look finished or move-in ready. (Fix cracks, clean grubby trim.)

Consider updating anything that looks like a buyer might object to it. Exceptions are things the buyer might want to replace themselves. Then you can offer a seller’s credit if you think the rest of the house will sell itself. (I did that with the floors - still had multiple bids over asking.)

Showcase your favorite features and write it up in the description that goes on the web sites. If you have views, clear them and make them focal points. Consider removing any bulky window treatments.

Not a bad idea to stage the outdoor living space if the natural landscape is nice.

Think about how things will be photographed and rework decor so that pics look good. You can take some sample pics to see what needs to go, or what needs something more. The realtor’s pictures are going to be a lot better than yours (wider views and brighter). Don’t be in any of the realtor’s pictures when they come, and make sure the house is clean and decluttered when they come. That is really hard. It happens so fast. Plan ahead several days.

If you like, you can take a stab at writing a description for the house and that may give you some ideas as to how you want to present it. Get excited about your house the way you did when you chose it.

Just a note: The advice I got from a realtor when I initially considered listing was don’t do anything. I’m in marketing and love DIY so that advice didn’t work for me. At the time, starter homes that were not fixed up in my neighborhood went for up to $150K less than homes that were updated. You know your home. Trust your judgment if you have opinions about how to present it. You can do a lot of inexpensive things that look expensive. Homes that look slightly more expensive will be more enviable than the competition and they may get more bids or have buyers compete more aggressively. Know why your house is better than the competition, why it’s more fun to live in, fix or stage it to emphasize those things, and present those selling points in your web site description.

In summary, make sure enough is fixed and updated to make it appealing to the next homeowner. If they want it bad enough, they’ll overlook minor things. Or sell it as a fixer if that’s too much work or expense. The buyer just needs enough info to figure out if they want it or not.

There are a lot of articles on what specific things to fix up, and they are worth reading, but that doesn’t mean that they will help the house sell. You bought the house before. You know what it needs to be appealing.

Clean, clean and clean some more. Go through every closet and start the give away/throw away. Get everything off the floor of the closets. The bathrooms should be clutter free and spotless. Fresh paint is your friend. You don't need a stager, but do get rid of extra furniture and all clutter. Go ahead a pack away in boxes what you don't immediately need but plan to take.

Have a good friend with a sensitive nose come through the house and make certain that everything either smells good or has no smell.

Paint your front door and entry with a fresh coat and pressure wash the house. You don't want spider webs on the eaves.

Do heavy lawn maintenance and cut back bushes and overgrowth. Get a couple of nice planters and seasonal plants by the front door and back door.

Repair anything that needs repair and replace what needs replacing.

Service the HVAC and any other appliances that need servicing.

Then, clean some more. Wash the baseboards.

kelli is right in saying cleaning up and minor repairs is probably more important than changing a bunch of things that a new buyer might not like. The RE agent should be able to ascertain from potential buyers what they might want changed and present those to you as a "OK I can do that" or "no I won't do that let them adjust their offer".

If you have any wallpaper, remove it. Except maybe in a powder room if it was recently installed and is not an assertive pattern that people will either love or hate.

If you want more specific advice you will need to post pictures of your house. I agree in general with the people who say don't do much except cleaning and repairs. Any actual remodeling you do runs the risk of being not what a buyer wants and therefore being a waste of money. Save your money for changing the house you move into to your taste. Despite high interest rates houses are selling very quickly where I live, regardless of their condition. As others have said, get familiar with the market you're in.

Unfortunately, I think you have to take anything a real estate agent says with a grain of salt. If they tell you to remodel your kitchen, it's not their money and of course then it will sell faster for more money and their commission will be higher. Look into discount realtors. We used one on our last sale. There is very little hand holding through the process, but we saved many, many thousands of dollars. It might not be the right choice for everyone, but if you don't need the hand holding it's a great idea.

“If you have any wallpaper, remove it.”

I agree it would likely help to remove it, but I smiled when I saw this. Our house was literally FULL of wallpaper when we bought it. It was, as kandrewspa posted, ”assertive” with balloon valances on windows to ”coordinate” with the wallpaper. It was meticulously done but much too much! We loved the house too much to let it sway us. We bought the house and down came all the wallpaper.😊

I also agree with just cleaning and decluttering, but the market can dictate what should be done. In our market (Southern CA) it’s pretty much what people tend to do. Buyers tend to change costly updates to suit their own tastes.

When we sold our house, we didn't list it until we had closed on our new house, and had a place to put extra stuff (we had lived in the house over 30 years!). We listed in October, but had our realtor come over in August to take pictures of the yard, when it was at its absolute best - after the flowerbeds had been completely weeded, a day after I mowed the lawn. He also hired a woman to take drone photos, which highlighted the park in our back yard.

True story. A few weeks ago I toured a home in which the primary bedroom closet had been converted to an office space. I’ve seen some strange things here in SoCal and yet the homes still sell quickly.

Also true story: I followed my realtor's advice for staging the house, which meant 2 bedrooms that I had turned into offices went back to being bedrooms again, complete with well-made beds, toys, juvenile curtains, teen celeb pictures on the walls (no such children lived in the house). The people who bought my house on the spot ran their successful business from home and were looking for a old house with lots of doors where they could create 2 separate offices.

“I’ve seen some strange things here in SoCal and yet the homes still sell quickly.”

And then some!

Remove popcorn ceilings if you have them. It’s not too expensive and people will love that it is already done.

Having looked and looked with two adult offspring I can tell you what didn't sell. Homes where someone came in and white washed/grayed every wall and wood work in site. Most of the time the splatters were as irritating as the color choices. NEW fixtures/flooring--I am sure the buyer liked it but my daughter did not and it's much easier to trash old than poor choices that are brand spanking new. And that included paint!! Its unfortunate sellers just can't seem to hear. Buyers want it clean and in good repair. They want to think a home was well taken care of and well maintained. Too much NEW makes a buyer wonder what the seller is hiding. What flooded, was there a fire???? When we bought this property in was on a gravel road. Our driveway and most of the driveways out here were gravel. 10 years after moving in the road was paved and homes took a sudden upturn in how fast they sold. We now have a paved driveway. No way do I think it added VALUE but we hope it will help the home sell faster than it would have when that time comes.

Sold last year.
There were a lot of things I did before I even knew I was going to move--just for myself. And then once I knew I was going to move I only did what my agent told me to do. he was awesome by the way and helped me do a lot of the work himself.

here is the short version:

The absolute most important thing you could possibly do is to completely move out including all of your crap (and, yes, as you are moving you will come to realize that it is all crap) handover the keys to your agent who will then hire professional stagers and cleaners. this is important not only for presentation but also to maximize buyer access. Plus I think about it. How do you feel walking into what is someone else's space? No amount of decluttering will depersonalize the space. you still have clothes in the closet and sippy cups in the cupboards.

Ok, here is the TL/DR list.

what I did before I knew I was moving:

Whole home rewiring from knob and tube. Definitely not worth it if you are selling. Most buyers aren't smart enough to know that knob and tube are bad.

Replaced any galvanized piping which also probably wasn't worth it as there were no active leaks. Also most buyers aren't smart enough to know that galvanized piping is bad.

Reglazed the downstairs bathroom tile from the creepy serial killer mildew tile into a nice bright white. Definitely worth it. And cost effective.

Rebuilt the chimney stack because it was leaking. Prob worth it as I would have had to put that on the disclosure form.

Whole home wall and ceiling painting. Trim touchup. Definitely worth it is it brightened the whole home.

install home security with smart home add-ons (switches and outlets.) Maybe worth it. no idea.

what my agent told me to do once I knew I was moving:

Installed new modern lighting in the kitchen (had existing fixtures) and a new light in the dining room. Nothing too expensive. Just Light and Bright. Did this myself. Worth it.

Hired professionals to fix the drainage in my patio that was causing my basement to leak during each rain storm. Fixed prior water damage in the basement with agent's help. Worth it.

Refreshed any exterior or interior paint that needed it. Worth it.

complete professional landscape refresh. New bark chips , trimming, weeding and new pea gravel for the walkways. Worth it.

Move out and handover keys. See above. Def worth it!!

One buyer commented it was too clean and tidy like no one lived there you can't please everyone. I do trully believe cleaning and repairing are a must as id keeping the exterior tidy.

LOL. We got the same comment. A buyer said to her husband that it was too clean. His response was priceless. He said, that's because you don't know how to clean.

“Remove popcorn ceilings if you have them.”

Agree that would please most buyers. However, it’s definitely not a must from what I’ve seen listed near us. Things like popcorn and (old) carpet throughout are not deterrents in this market.

This is it. The market, the price, the location will be the factors that determine what is NEEDED to sell. We too sold a home in 24 hours. It was 12 years old, we were the second owners and we did NOTHING other than clean to prep for the sale. The only 'upgrade' that makes sense in a home is one you want and will be around to enjoy for some time, before you sell.

Well thanks everyone! This was a great read. We will take all these great tips and proceed. Key thoughts were: i secure a real estate agent who knows the local market to help ii get broken things fixed iii clean (ideally we will move out, have the place cleaned and staged). Thanks everyone.

Best investments:

1. Ruthless decluttering of every inch of my home including closets and basement.

2. Rented storage space for one month and put 1/3 of my furniture in it. Emptier home is more appealing to buyers.

3. Fixed small things that were broken to give a meticulous look. Did superficial changes - a new vanity, new light fixtures in various places - All Home Depot inexpensive.

4. Cleaned and dusted basement mechanicals, painted walls and floor in unfinished basement, gave the appearance of incredibly well maintained home.

5. Ignored the advice of all the top real estate agents I interviewed and priced it well, and did my own staging. (Spent $800 at Target, Home Goods, Home Depot on organizing baskets, rugs, pillows, cheap pristine bedding and towels, plants.)

My home was an 1852 row house. My neighbors four doors down had the identical home on the market at the same time, made renovation changes to fix up their home, and listened to the realtor's advice on staging and pricing. Their home sat on the market for 8 weeks. Mine got four offers in 24-hours, $60k above asking, two of which waived inspection - unheard of in a house of this age. Our home ultimately sold for the same price as our neighbors, mine with so much less stress, no negotiating, no inspection, no lowering of price. I was in control of the process - not the agents, not the buyers.

OTOH, when I was a real estate broker, I would have buyers looking for the worst homes, so they could renovate and renew. I sold one where the buyers had to step over human feces in the hallway. Sold!

***

For our upcoming repo sale in beautiful Collingwood, Ontario on Georgian Bay, our broker recommends a virtual staging of the spotless new home.

He says it's enough to bring buyers in. Staging here starts at C$4k, so we'll give that a try first.

My top 10 thoughts. That being said, clean and clutter free top these!

1. Kitchen Renovation: A modern, functional kitchen is often cited as one of the best returns on investment. However, the key is to keep the renovation in line with the rest of the house and neighborhood. Over-improving can make it difficult to recoup costs.
2. Bathroom Updates: Like the kitchen, a bathroom upgrade can be a selling point. Basic updates like new tiles, fixtures, and lighting can make a significant difference.
3. Landscaping: Curb appeal is crucial. Simple landscaping upgrades can dramatically improve the first impression that potential buyers have of your home.
4. Energy-Efficient Features: In today's eco-conscious market, energy-efficient appliances, windows, and even solar panels can make your home more attractive to buyers.
5. Fresh Paint: A new coat of paint is one of the most cost-effective ways to brighten up your home and make it more appealing to buyers.
6. Flooring: Replacing old carpets or refinishing hardwood floors can have a big impact and usually offers a good return on investment.
7. Home Office: With the increasing trend of remote work, a well-designed home office can be a selling point.
8. Smart Home Features: These are becoming increasingly popular and can add a modern touch that appeals to younger buyers.
9. Basement or Attic Conversion: Additional living spaces like a finished basement or attic can add value, especially in markets where space is at a premium.
10. Roof and Structural Repairs: While not glamorous, a new roof or addressing any structural issues can make your property more appealing as it saves the new owner from immediate, costly repairs.

It's a good idea to consult with a real estate agent who is familiar with your specific market to determine which upgrades would be most beneficial in your situation.

You would not believe how many people have lived with a giant ugly unsanitary failed reinforcement rod in their countertop for years and don't think of repairing it until they go to sell.

Like a tree branch sticking through your roof and ceiling, you are going to pay to have this fixed, like it or not. You'll pay a professional for a repair:

Or you'll pay for an apron front sink installation:

Either is less expensive than having your buyer taking the cost out of your hide at closing. Since they don't know how much it's going to cost to fix, they'll just guesstimate high or plan on you buying them new tops. Just did one of these for a seller this week.

In this market, it doesn't matter. Inventory is still low. That being said, I sold a house and the buyer looked at another identical house in the neighborhood that did not have a remodeled kitchen, so she chose my house...good news is that I needed a quick sale (already made an offer on another house). Bad news: I did not make any money on the house, so I ate the $5,000 I spent to remodel the kitchen.

My top 10 thoughts. That being said, clean and clutter free top these!

Kitchen Renovation: A modern, functional kitchen is often cited as one of the best returns on investment. However, the key is to keep the renovation in line with the rest of the house and neighborhood. Over-improving can make it difficult to recoup costs.

Unless you live in a multi million dollar neighborhood, redoing a perfectly good kitchen is not worth the money. It may help you sell the house faster like violetstapdragon mentioned, but you won't recoup your money for it.

I would make sure there's good lighting and nothing is chipped or broken.

Bathroom Updates: Like the kitchen, a bathroom upgrade can be a selling point. Basic updates like new tiles, fixtures, and lighting can make a significant difference.

Same as the kitchen. Obviously there should be no chipped tiles or grout falling out, etc.

Landscaping: Curb appeal is crucial. Simple landscaping upgrades can dramatically improve the first impression that potential buyers have of your home.

Agree. The first impression is very important.

Energy-Efficient Features: In today's eco-conscious market, energy-efficient appliances, windows, and even solar panels can make your home more attractive to buyers.

Yes they'll make it more attractive to buyers so your house may sell faster, but it won't add a penny to what you can get based on comps in your neighborhood. And things like solar are very expensive. We put in solar for our own benefit. However when we sell sometime hopefully in the distant future, we don't expect that to bring us extra dollars.

Fresh Paint: A new coat of paint is one of the most cost-effective ways to brighten up your home and make it more appealing to buyers.

If the walls are looking tired, I agree.

Flooring: Replacing old carpets or refinishing hardwood floors can have a big impact and usually offers a good return on investment.

Dirty and stained carpets or chipped flooring yes. Otherwise a good cleaning is all that is needed. Again this will not help you get more money. It will only help you sell your home more quickly.

Home Office: With the increasing trend of remote work, a well-designed home office can be a selling point.

Or just stage a bedroom as a home office.

Smart Home Features: These are becoming increasingly popular and can add a modern touch that appeals to younger buyers.

Again, don't spend the money for something you won't make back when selling.

Basement or Attic Conversion: Additional living spaces like a finished basement or attic can add value, especially in markets where space is at a premium.

You won't make back the cost to convert it.

Roof and Structural Repairs: While not glamorous, a new roof or addressing any structural issues can make your property more appealing as it saves the new owner from immediate, costly repairs.

Absolutely this is important.

Thanks for all these. Clutter free and clean seem to be the #1's. Tick - Solved by moving out before the sale and having the place pro cleaned. I can mange that. A pro paint job making the house smell new and unifying the whole place might be an investment I'd go for depending on the quote and timelines.

Thanks everyone.