What Should I Do to Prepare My Baltimore Home Before Listing?

What should I do to prepare my Baltimore home before listing? Start with the basics, declutter and clean, then walk the house with me before you spend a dollar, because buyers see the photos first and decide from there.

I'm Eric Figurelle with the Figurelle Team of Cummings & Co. Realtors. Getting a house ready is the part many sellers worry about most, so it's the part I help manage.

"What do we have to do to get the house on the market?" Behind that one question are three others: what work needs doing, what the next steps are, and how soon it can happen. This post answers the first.

1. We walk through together. I look at whether the house needs to be cleared out and cleaned, or needs repairs. I tell you what matters and what doesn't. Not every fix is worth the money. Ask before you spend.

2. Declutter. Clear the counters and the closets. Pack up what you won't need in the next few months. A house with less in it feels bigger and brighter.

3. Clean. Floors, windows, bathrooms, the kitchen, even the basement. It's the cheapest thing you can do, and buyers notice.

4. Decide on paint and carpet. Some homes show better with fresh paint, new carpet, or both. I don't say that to every seller, only when I think it will help.

5. Stage it if the house is empty. Real furniture in the right places helps buyers see how a room works. It makes the house feel like a home.

6. Photograph and film it. Once the house is ready, we shoot it so it looks its best from the first click.

Prep is one part of how I sell. Here's how each stage works.

Here's how I think about it. Buyers decide from the photos first, so I look at each room the way a photo would show it. If something looks tired or cluttered in the picture, it's worth a look. If it wouldn't show up in the photo or change how a buyer feels, it can usually wait.

We go room by room, and you decide. My job is to give you a straight answer on each one, so you aren't guessing and you aren't spending money on work that changes nothing.

It depends on the house. For some homes it's a good cleaning and a few small fixes. For others it means clearing out, cleaning, repairs and staging.

Once the house is ready, it gets professional photography and floor plans, and on almost every listing, video plus aerial photos and video from above, so buyers see the home, the block and the neighborhood before they ever visit.

That's why I bring prep and marketing together. The work you do in the house is what the camera sees.

I bring in the contractors and vendors I've worked with for years, get the quotes, and oversee the work. You approve the quotes and any repair work before it starts. Nothing happens in your house without your say.

You get one person keeping track of who is coming, when they're coming, and what they're doing, instead of a list of phone calls to make on your own.

Yes. Some clients do. Others wait until they've moved out, so the house can be made show-ready with updates and staging. Which one fits depends on your timing and your plans.

If you're buying and selling at the same time, the order changes too. Some clients buy first and prepare their home while living in it. Some move out first. Some sell first to know their proceeds. I'll help you pick the order that works for you. Here's how selling and buying at once works.

I help manage it. The vendors. The timing. The follow-through.

If you need me to, I can manage all of it. That's useful if you're busy, and it's especially useful if you don't live in Baltimore. If you're selling from another state, here's how that works.

• Spending before asking. Some jobs change what a buyer sees. Others cost money and change nothing.
• Skipping the basics. Declutter and clean come first. They're the biggest return for the least money.
• Waiting too long to start. If you want the house ready by a certain date, the vendors and the timing need a plan from the start.
• Doing it all alone. "I don't want this to turn into a stressful experience." You don't have to carry the whole list yourself.

I once had a seller out of the country when a pipe burst in her basement. I had a contractor there right away, and everything was repaired before settlement. You can read how that played out.

That's why I manage the vendors. When someone you trust is on the ground, a surprise stays small.

If you read Monday's post, you know how I find the price range: what is my Baltimore home worth. The next step is the walk-through. You can also read about Baltimore.

Send me a message, and I'll walk through your house with you and tell you what matters. Contact me here.

About: Eric Figurelle is a REALTOR® and Team Leader of the Figurelle Team of Cummings & Co. Realtors in Baltimore, MD, helping buyers and sellers across the Baltimore Metro area make clear, well-planned moves, especially sellers managing a transition or a sale from a distance.