Whether you’ve lived in your house for five years or twenty-five years, you can likely come up with a list of things you love about it. Some of these were the reason you bought it in the first place, and some have come to fruition as you’ve grown into, and possibly out of, the space you call home.

Did you know these are the first things you need to tell your REALTOR®? That way, they can offer support and walk you through some important decisions.

What do you love about your home?

Nothing sells a home like putting potential buyers in your shoes. It’s helpful to make a list of what you love about your home, which will help you figure out what your buyers will love and how you can play up those features.

You could include questions like this:

  • What are your favorite features?
  • Of all the changes you’ve made, what stands out to you the most?
  • Why do you drink your coffee in the breakfast nook? Maybe it’s because the morning rays kiss your cheeks and welcome the day. Or because it’s still cave-like, allowing you to ease in to what you wish wasn’t such an early morning.
  • When you light the fireplace, does it warm the house so quickly you can cut the furnace down and walk around in your bare feet?
  • Is the back patio the perfect place to sip wine and watch the sunset?

Anyone can go online and see the numbers of bedrooms, square footage, location, etc. What they can’t do is feel connected to the home.

This is the emotion you want to convey to buyers. Are they buying location and square footage? At first. When they narrow their search down to the top three, though, they’re buying coffee- and wine-sipping locations.

What do you wish you could change about your home?

Now let’s look at the flip side. What would you change if you could? There are probably quite a few things you’ve become accustomed to that could turn off potential buyers. Again, a list will help.

  • Does the front door open in the wrong direction and you’ve just dealt with it?
  • Is the carpet in the rec room outdated or in bad shape?
  • Does the basement smell musty?
  • Is the shrubbery outside in need of pruning or removal?

If these are easy fixes, fix them! Recruit your REALTOR® to go over these details with you. Their constructive criticism will provide helpful guidance, as will feedback you get from the first few showings. Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees, so it’s important to be open to suggestions.

Selling your home can be just as emotional as buying one, and those emotions go in both directions, pro and con. When you put those feelings into lists, you can more easily make decisions about how to market your home and how to prepare it.

With this task off your list, you’re one step closer to your goal!