day 3
d a y 4
Day4:GetBoxesandDuctTapeAbigparto adventureyou’reabouttoembarkoninvol reducingclutter,andwhileCostcoandthe mightbecheapoptionsforboxes,itsureis convenient.Aninvestmentunder$100will youproperpackingsuppliesandreduceyo stress.Betteryet,considerFrogbox–re-use boxesthatwon’tfallapart(bonus:they’reg fortheenvironmenttoo).Ifyou’regoingto
D A Y 3 : M A K E A N E X T R A S E T O K E Y S P R O S P E C T I V E B U Y E R S A N D T H E I R A G E N T S W I L L N E E D T A C C E S S Y O U R H O M E , S O Y O U ’ L N E E D A N E X T R A S E T O F K E Y S I T ’ S W O R T H T H E $ 3 N O T T O H A V E T O O P E N T H E L O C K B O E V E R Y T I M E Y O U W A N T T O C O M E H O M E .
day 5 D A Y 5 : T A C K L E T H E B A T H R O O M S R E M O V E A L L T H E T O I L E T R I E S Y O U H A V E O N D I S P L A Y ( N O B O D Y W A N T S T O K N O W Y O U U S E H E A D & S H O U L D E R S ) . I N V E S T I N S O M E N E W W H I T E T O W E L S ( A N D N O , Y O U D O N ’ T G E T T O U S E T H E M ) . V I S I T W I N N E R S O R H O M E S E N S E F O R A F F O R D A B L E A C C E S S O R I E S : S O A P D I S H , T O O T H B R U S H H O L D E R , E T C . I F Y O U R T O I L E T S E A T , S H O W E R C U R T A I N O R B A T H M A T T A R E G R O S S ( B E H O N E S T W I T H Y O U R S E L F ) , R E P L A C E T H E M . C O N S I D E R R E P L A C I N G T H E T O I L E T P A P E R H O L D E R A N D T O W E L R A C K / H O O K S T O O
day 6
Day6:DecluttertheKitchenThekitchenisoneof theroomsBuyersaremostattractedtosoif you’relookingtoskiparoom,thisshouldn’tbeit. Removeyourblender/GeorgeForeman Grill/KitchenAidmixer/toaster/breadmachine fromthecounters–youwantthecounterstobe asclearaspossible.Cleaninsideallthecupboards (andyes,Imeanremoveeverythingandwipe themout).Don’tcramallyourdishesandfood backin–again,youwanttoconveytoBuyersthat yourkitchenhasenoughstoragefortheBuyer’s stuff.Cleaninsidethefridge(andremovethe magnets,photosandreminders).Turnonyour self-cleaningoven(probablyforthefirsttime). Storeyourboozecollection(andtakeoutthe vestinginsomefreshflowers withsomefreshfruitinit.
day 7
Day7:Nextup:TheBedroomsThebedrooms shouldbeinviting,andthatmeansmorecleaning anddeclutteringandinvestinginafewprops.If youdon’talreadyhaveone,investinaneutralcolouredduvetcoverandsomenewfancypillows. Straightenthebookshelves.Removepersonal photos,knick-knacksandpersonalgrooming products.Cleanouttheclosets.Considergetting anarearugifthefloorsarecold.Ifyou’vejammed inadresserorarmoirethatdoesn’treallyfitinto thespaceconsiderstoringitoffsite.
Day8:Ta Cleanth throwpi
bringthe andallth wiresfro day 9
Day9:MakeYourDiningRoomLookLikeaPlace
SomeoneMightActuallyWanttoEatin Removethekids’homeworkandthepilesofstuff thathaveaccumulatedonthediningroomtable. Cleanupthehutch.Ifyourdiningchairshave seenbetterdays,considergettingthem reupholstered.Investinanewtableclothtohide anoldtable.
day 10
Day10:De-clutter,OrganizeandCleantheBasement
Ifyourbasementisanythinglikeours,thisisgoingtotakemorethanoneday.Whetheryour basementisfinishedorjustastorageareaforextrastuffyou’llneedtoinvestthetimetomake itlookasspaciousandcleanaspossible.Andwhatagreatwaytoridyourselfofallthatstuff youneveruse.
a y 1 2
d
day 13
Day13:TheEntrance
Remember that most Buyers will have an emotional reaction to your home within 15 secondsofenteringit,sowhattheyexperience
day 14
Day 14: Get Rid of All the Things That Make YourHomeYours
Ouch, I know it hurts to read that. You want your house to appeal to as many Buyers as
day 15 Takeadayoff! day 16
Day16:PaintTouch-upsandRe-painting
A fresh coat of paint is one of the cheapest ways to freshen up your home. Bold colours are bound to be a turn-off to some Buyers, so toappealtothemostpeoplepossibletakethe time to re-paint that red bedroom and blue bathroom. (Tip: light colours will help small rooms look bigger). Don’t forget about baseboards and ceilings – they might need somepainttoo.
day 17
Day17:RepairWhatYou’veBeenAvoiding
Weallhavethatlistofnever-neverrepairsand fixes. Now’s the time to get to it, including fixing the leaky faucet, the picture holes in the wall,etc.andgetitdoneonceandforall.Ifyou aren’t handy yourself, bring in a handyman to take care of it (we know some good ones, we canhelp).
day 18 Day18:GettheWindowsCleaned
I know, you probably don’t even think about cleaning your windows, but rain, snow and construction can really make your windows dirty.
a y 2 0
D A Y 1 9 : F O C U S O N T H E F R O N T Y A R D C U R B A P P E A L M A T T E R S A N D W I L L S I G N I F I C A N T L Y I M P A C T P E O P L E ’ S F I R S T I M P R E S S I O N O F Y O U R H O U S E . S T A N D O N Y O U R S T R E E T A N D T A K E I N Y O U R F R O N T Y A R D : W H A T D O Y O U S E E ? A T A M I N I M U M , C L E A N T H E S C U F F M A R K S O F F T H E F R O N T D O O R A N D T O U C H - U P T H E C H I P P E D P A I N T O R G I V E I T A F R E S H C O A T . A N D I F Y O U R F R O N T D O O R H A S S E E N B E T T E R D A Y S , C O N S I D E R I N V E S T I N G I N A N E W O N E . I F Y O U H A V E A F R O N T P O R C H , M A K E I T L O O K I N V I T I N G ( A N D N O T J U S T A R E C E P T A C L E F O R M O R E O F Y O U R S T U F F ) . I N V E S T I N S O M E S E A S O N A L P L A N T S . C L E A N U P T H E G A R D E N . A L O T O F B U Y E R S W I L L S E E Y O U R H O M E A T N I G H T , S O M A K E S U R E T H A T Y O U R O U T D O O R L I G H T I N G I S S H O W I N G O F F Y O U R H O M E . d
day 19
day 21
D A Y 2 1 : G E T T H E C A R P E T S
C L E A N E D
U N L E S S Y O U R C A R P E T S
A R E B R A N D N E W , Y O U ’ L L
W A N T T O H A V E T H E M
S T E A M C L E A N E D ( O R D O I T
Y O U R S E L F ) . Y O U ’ L L B E
A M A Z E D A T W H A T A
D I F F E R E N C E I T M A K E S .
day
22
D A Y 2 2 : D O N ’ T F O R G E T
A B O U T T H E F L O O R S
Y O U ’ L L N E E D M O R E T H A N
A S W I F F E R T O G E T I N T O
A L L T H E C O R N E R S A N D
C R A C K S . I F Y O U R F L O O R S
A R E S C R A T C H E D , T H E R E
A R E S O M E G R E A T
P R O D U C T S O U T T H E R E T O
M A K E T H E M L O O K
A L M O S T - B R A N D - N E W .
day 23
Day23:TackletheWallsandDoors
Ifyourwallsanddoorsarescuffed,buysome MagicErasersandgototown.You’llwonderwhy youdidn’tdoitsooner Ifyourartneedsan update,now’sthetimetodoittoo.
day 24
Day24:TheFinalClean
Bynowyou’reprobablyexhausted..sorryabout that.Whileyoucandothisfinalstepyourself,we alwaysliketosuggesttobringinprofessional cleanerswhowillmakesuretocleanallthespots youdon’t:thebaseboards,insidethelights,the fridge,etc.
day 25
Day25:MakePlansfortheKidsandtheDog/Cat
NoBuyerwantstolookatallyourkids’toys, fingerpaintingworksofartordirtydiapers,soput itallawayandmakeaplantokeepitconcealed.I lovemydogstoo,butprospectiveBuyerswon’t appreciatethebarking/jumping.Makeaplanto getyourpetsoutofthehouse:Doggiedaycare? GrandmaandGrandpa?Multiplewalks.
Day27:MakeYourHomeSmellGood Ifyou’readogowner,washanycouches,beds andsurfaceswherethedogssleep.Youmaynot smellhimanymore,butBuyerswill.Tuckthe litterboxaway(andcleanittwiceadaywhile yourhomeisonthemarket).UseFebreezeon EVERYTHING.Considerlightingsomecandles(but avoidstrongairfresheners).
Day28:GetaPre-listingHomeInspection
It’snotfuntofindoutwhat’swrongwithyourhouseatthenegotiatingtable,soarmyourself withtheinformationbeforeyoulistyourhome.Youcaneitherfixtheproblemsbeforeyoulist yourhome,orfactoritintoyouraskingpriceandexpectations.
Da Ify isu ho an ho to
day 27
day 28
day 2 D A Y 2 9 : P H O W H E N Y O U C L U T T E R E D , R E A D Y F O R T I M E F O R T H T O W O R K W I L L H A P P B E F O R E Y O U F O R S A L E , A V I R T U A L T O
