10/03/2026
Everything I’d want to know before putting my house on the market.
If I were selling my own house tomorrow, I wouldn’t start by asking what it’s worth. I’d start by asking what it needs.
Do I really need to renovate the kitchen—or would new paint, better lighting and a few thoughtful changes get me 90% of the way there? Should I replace the floors because I don’t love them—or are buyers going to be perfectly happy with them?
My neighbor sold for more. But was their house actually comparable? Same lot? Same condition? Same updates? Same market? And that $50,000 I’m thinking about spending before I list—will I actually get it back? Or am I renovating a house for someone who may walk in and immediately want to change it again?
Then I’d look at the competition. If a buyer had $1.5 million to spend today, what else could they buy instead of my house? That question matters far more than what I paid, what I’ve spent, or what I’d like to get.
I’d want to know what buyers are responding to right now. What they’re overlooking. What’s sitting. What’s selling. And why. Because preparing a house for market isn’t about making everything perfect. It’s about knowing what matters—what to fix, what to leave alone, where to spend, where to save, how to present it, and most importantly, how to position it against everything else a buyer could choose.
Sometimes the smartest move is a renovation. Sometimes it’s a can of paint. Sometimes it’s simply the right price.
And this is where the right Realtor matters. A good Realtor shouldn’t just tell you what your house is worth. They should help you understand what’s worth doing before you sell—and, just as importantly, what isn’t. Because knowing what not to spend money on can be every bit as valuable as knowing where to spend it.
The goal isn’t to do more before you sell. It’s to do the right things.