The pre-sale checklist: fix, skip, clean, stage.
What I tell every seller before photos. General guidance for Los Angeles homes, written from the deals I've run. Your home may need more or less, and the LAUNCH plan is where we get specific.
Fix
Things buyers and inspectors will find, and that cost more in a credit than in a repair.
- Anything that leaks, drips or runs: faucets, toilets, the water heater pan, irrigation.
- Electrical that doesn't work: dead outlets, switches that do nothing, missing cover plates, GFCI near water.
- Doors and windows that stick, don't latch, or have broken seals.
- Roof and gutter issues you already know about. A buyer's inspector will find them in the first hour.
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in the right places, and a strapped water heater. California asks for these at sale.
- Permits: if you've done work, gather the paperwork now. Open or missing permits slow escrow more than almost anything else.
Skip
Money that rarely comes back at closing.
- A full kitchen or bath remodel right before listing. Buyers in LA often want to choose their own, and a fresh remodel can price the home out of its own comps.
- New roof or new systems that work fine today. Disclose, price fairly, and let the buyer decide.
- Landscaping overhauls. Clean, trimmed and watered beats new.
- Expensive fixtures in rooms buyers don't linger in.
Clean and clear
The cheapest work with the biggest effect on photos and first visits.
- Deep clean everything, windows inside and out included. Photos are taken toward the light.
- Take out half of what's in every closet, cabinet and garage. Storage reads as space.
- Remove most personal photos and anything a buyer might argue with. They should picture themselves there.
- Paint walls that show wear in a warm white. Fresh paint is the best dollar you'll spend.
- Replace burned-out bulbs with matching warm bulbs. Light the whole house for photos and showings.
- Fix the small things you've stopped seeing: the loose handle, the cracked switch plate, the squeaky gate.
Stage
Staging is editing, not decorating.
- Fewer, larger pieces. One rug, one sofa, two chairs beats a room full of furniture.
- Every room gets one clear purpose. The office is an office, not an office-gym-storage room.
- Beds made like a hotel. Bathrooms with white towels and nothing on the counters.
- Outdoor spaces furnished, even simply. In LA the patio is a room.
- If the home is empty, stage the living room, primary bedroom and kitchen at minimum.
Paperwork
Have these ready before the first showing.
- Disclosures started. Honest and complete disclosures protect you and shorten negotiations.
- HOA documents if there's an association: CC&Rs, budget, minutes, any pending assessments or litigation.
- Receipts and warranties for recent work and systems.
- A list of what stays and what goes: the fridge, the washer and dryer, the mounted TVs, the planters.
This is general information from a licensed agent, not legal, tax or construction advice. Requirements for detectors, water heater strapping, disclosures and permits change; confirm current rules with the City or County and with your escrow officer. Tyler Drinkwater, CA DRE #02112336, Revel Real Estate.