Sell My Albuquerque Home Checklist
What do I need to do to sell my Albuquerque home? It’s a question every homeowner asks themselves when they get ready to list their property. Thankfully, the answer is pretty simple.
Your best return on investment will be cleaning, de-cluttering and packing up anything you do not need in the house. You’ll also need to consider minor improvements. Do you need to paint the entire house or can you paint a portion of your home? In most cases you will have some holes to patch in the walls and some touch up work to do. You may want to hire others to perform this work if you are in a hurry or not very handy. In this article, we provide several checklists that you can use to sell your Albuquerque home faster.
- Front yard checklist
- General home checklist
- Home cleaning checklist
- Living and family rooms checklist
- Dining room checklist
- Bathrooms checklist
- Bedrooms checklist
- Laundry room checklist
- Garage checklist
The bottom line? You want to make your home look as new as possible to get the most out of your sale, in the least amount of time. Consult with Myers & Myers Real Estate early in the process for tips on how to sell your Albuquerque home.
Why is cleaning your home for sale so important?
Home buyers are much more critical of your home than they are of their own. Most people don’t dust their house top to bottom weekly, but they’ll notice if yours isn’t. It’s critical to keep your home in show-ready condition at all times while your home is listed on the market.
Decluttering and cleaning also gives your home depth. Removing excess furniture opens up floor space in your home. De-personalizing and de-cluttering invites prospective home buyers to imagine themselves living in your home. They’ll feel welcomed and relaxed in a clean home; hopefully imagining where they might put their things!
You may be asking, “what do I need to do to sell my Albuquerque house?” Follow the checklists below to sell your Albuquerque home for top dollar and in the shortest time. You’ll be surprised how a little bit of cleaning can go a long way!
Sell my Albuquerque home checklist: front yard
Curb appeal is everything. Home buyers get their first impression when they drive up to your home. Make it’s a great impression—one that makes them want to explore your property further and investigate the interior.
- Pull all the weeds in your garden and on your landscape
- Rake and spread rock to bare spots if you have Southwest landscape
- Keep the lawn freshly mowed, edged and fertilized
- Prune bushes and plants to look healthy
- Do not allow shrubs or plants to block windows
- Remove anything that does not need to be in the front yard
- Paint or clean the front door as needed
- Replace or repair any rotten wood on the exterior
- Paint the trim on the home if needed
- Look at your house objectively from your neighbor’s yard
- Sweep all walkways, patios, porches and decks
- Pressure-wash any stained or dirty concrete
*You can use the checklist above for your backyard also
Sell my Albuquerque home checklist: general
The home buyer’s next first impression is when they walk through the front door. Most home buyers make a decision within the first five seconds if they want to continue viewing your home. Evaluate what the buyer sees first and make sure it gives off the right impression.
- Pack up all knick-knacks and ornamental items
- Remove all furniture you can live without
- Rearrange furniture to make the rooms feel larger
- Reduce, add or remove plants to a balanced number
- Remove all but a few decorative books from bookshelves
- Pack away personal family photos to de-personalize the home
- Reduce the amount of wall art to one or two items per room
- Add lamps to any dark spaces to brighten the room
- Avoid using scented candles, sprays and plug-in air fresheners
Sell my Albuquerque checklist: home cleaning
We recommend hiring a professional house cleaner to deep clean your home after you decide to sell your Albuquerque home. Cleaning your home is the best return on investment a homeowner can make. A clean house also smells good!
Dust Everything:
- Baseboards
- Ceiling fans
- A/C and heater intake vents
- Walls and ceilings
- Blinds
- All horizontal and vertical surfaces
Clean or replace as necessary:
- Wash all windows inside and outside (don’t forget the tracks)
- Hire a professional for carpet cleaning, if needed
- Replace light switch and electrical plug cover plates
- Clean the fireplace
- Replace any burnt-out light bulbs
- Replace any cracked or damaged blinds
- Repair or replace doors and door knobs
Sell my Albuquerque home checklist: kitchen
Remember, the kitchen is often one of (if not the) most important room for homebuyers. Make sure your kitchen shines if you want to sell your Albuquerque home. Give it a deep clean and make sure it virtually sparkles when you walk into it.
- Clean the refrigerator, stove, oven and microwave
- Clear any unnecessary items from kitchen countertops
- Clear all items from the front or side of the refrigerator
- Replace burner pans on the stove if worn
- Keep all mops, brooms, vacuums, etc. put away
- Clean tile grout and bleach if needed
- Empty the garbage before each showing
- Remove any pet food and water dishes before showings
- Organize the pantry to look clean and neat
- Box up any dishes and cooking supplies you can live without
- Scrub/polish the sink to make it look like new again
- Repair broken or loose corners on Formica counter tops
Sell my Albuquerque home checklist: living and family rooms
Living and family rooms need to feel spacious and welcoming. Prospective homebuyers need to feel immediately warm and cozy when they enter these spaces and see themselves using these spaces to entertain family and friends.
- Remove as much furniture as you can and make these areas look livable
- Keep coffee tables clear and free of any knickknacks
- Remove any ashtrays
- Store any toys out of sight
- Use pillows and throws to soften the space
- Maximize the amount of natural light in these rooms
Sell my Albuquerque home checklist: dining room
Whether they’ll use it as a traditional dining space or for something else entirely, buyers want a dining space that’s accessible and accommodating. Take some time to clean and organize this space, to show maximum utility for whatever purpose a buyer might envision.
- Keep dining table clear except for one nice centerpiece
- Remove extra chairs from the table and dining room
- Remove extra leaves from the table
- The bottom of your chandelier should be a minimum of 60” from the floor
- The table should seat a maximum of 4 to 6 chairs
Sell my Albuquerque home checklist: bathrooms
The bathroom may not be the most flattering room of the home, but it should be one that “wows” prospective buyers. Cleaning up is the easiest way to add a little sparkle to this space, and a few repairs can feel extraordinary to buyers who don’t expect anything out of the ordinary.
- Remove everything from the bathroom that you can live without
- Clean any moldy areas in the showers and baths
- Replace caulking to make it look new again
- Take off all cloth toilet lids and keep lids closed
- Organize cabinets to be clean and neat
- Clear and clean all surfaces
- Fold towels in thirds on towel rack
- Clean or replace all shower curtains
- Hide garbage cans and cleaning supplies
Sell my Albuquerque home checklist: bedrooms
Bedrooms benefit from a little bit of tidying and order. Often, making the bed and picking up stray clothing is enough to make your bedroom welcoming. Like any other room, focus on cleaning your bedroom to give it spotless appeal during showings.
- Remove and pack any furniture not necessary
- Organize closets to be nice and neat
- Store daily necessities in drawers or closets
- Keep closet doors closed
- Keep all the floors clear and vacuum regularly
- Clear off bedside tables, dressers, etc.
- Make beds daily
- Remove all wall decor, other than a tasteful piece of art
- Repair any holes or damage to walls
Sell my Albuquerque home checklist: laundry room
Whether it’s an offshoot of your main floor or located in your basement, your laundry room should be a focus area for cleaning and organization. There are plenty of opportunities to make this space seem more open, welcoming and useful.
- Use bright lightbulbs to make the space appear brighter
- Put soap and supplies in cupboards
- Clear and clean all surfaces
- Remove any and all clothing, dirty or clean
- Keep floors cleared of clutter and mop regularly
Sell my Albuquerque home checklist: garage
Your garage is an important part of your property that’s no considered a “living space.” Buyers will nonetheless want to see a garage that’s in good condition, well-organized and well-maintained. Thankfully, it doesn’t take much to make this space more appealing.
- Clean and sweep out the garage
- Keep storage orderly and neat
- Power-wash the garage floor if necessary
- Repaint chipped or dirty areas
- Pack anything you can live without
Get ready to sell your Albuquerque home
We hope these checklists help you answer the question, “what do I need to do to sell my house in Albuquerque?” You only get one chance to make a great impression, and your first 30 days on the market are the most important for selling your home. Make the most of this window of opportunity by completing this checklist.
Looking for more insights and information? We have many other great tips to sell your home in Albuquerque Metro area. Or, contact Myers & Myers Real Estate LL today by filling out the contact form on our website.
Check out homes for sale in Albuquerque, homes for sale in Rio Rancho, homes for sale in Corrales, homes for sale in East Mountains, homes for sale in Valencia County, and homes for sale in Los Lunas to see how we position your home to sell at the best possible price.
