How Do You Get Your Home Ready for Sale?

By Will Fendon

For nearly 20 years, Will Fendon has been a top-producing Realtor in Portland, Lake Oswego, West Linn, and surrounding areas.

What should you do to prepare your home for the market? Every home is different, and every seller’s situation is unique. I recently worked with a seller whose home needed quite a bit of work. When I first toured the property, it was clear that repairs, clearing clutter, and yard work were needed. The seller had been living out of state, and a tenant had been renting the house, so it had taken a bit of a beating. Despite the condition of the home, we were up for the challenge. I’ll walk you through the steps we took to make their home market-ready.

1. Clean the exterior. We kicked things off outside since curb appeal sets the tone for the entire showing experience. The roof and gutters got a much-needed cleaning, and we tackled the overgrown yard. Underneath all the leaves and debris, there was actually some gorgeous landscaping.

Once cleaned up, the yard completely transformed and became one of the home’s standout features. We also rebuilt the worn-down stairs and the small deck off the breakfast nook—simple fixes that made the whole exterior feel more welcoming. With these updates, the house was looking way more inviting than when I first walked through.

2. Prepare the interior. Inside, we had a few more choices to make. The seller had lovely furnishings and artwork, but the overall feel of the house wasn’t quite right. It felt disjointed—partly because the tenant had left some items behind, and one of the seller’s sons had been using it for storage. So, we cleared everything out and organized it neatly in the garage. Once the house was empty, we could see its true potential.

Our contractors tackled quick cosmetic updates. Instead of refinishing the cabinets, they touched up worn areas. The house’s Brazilian cherry floors just needed a polish to shine like new. We also updated light fixtures in key areas and added fresh, neutral paint to replace bold colors like red, green, and yellow. These colors give a clean and modern feel.

With those upgrades complete, we finally brought in a professional stager to help buyers see how beautiful—and livable—the space truly was.

3. Take professional photos and videos. After everything was polished and staged, we brought in a professional photographer and had a custom walkthrough video made. It showed off the house in a way that photos alone just couldn’t do. The combination of high-quality photos and a video tour really helped showcase the home and its features in the best light possible. Trust me, when a house looks great, it generates a lot of interest.

4. Navigate the inspection and negotiation process. Once the house was on the market, it sold quickly. In fact, we had an offer within one day, and it was for full price! After we went under contract, the inspection phase kicked in, and we handled repair requests and negotiations afterward.

In this case, the buyer initially requested almost $40,000 in credits instead of asking for repairs. That was completely unacceptable, so I negotiated that down by about 75%. In the end, the seller agreed to make a small concession toward the roof that was close to the end of its lifespan. She also provided a home warranty for the old mechanical systems. Both the seller and the buyer were happy with those concessions, and we moved forward to closing.

Getting a home ready for the market takes some effort, but the right steps make the sale smooth. Cleaning up the exterior, tackling repairs, clearing clutter, and staging all go a long way in boosting the final sale price. If you need help preparing your home, you can give me a quick call or send an email. I’ll help you get started.