Seller Guide
Preparing your home: spend where it returns
What should I do to my house before selling?
Focus on five things: paint, lighting, landscaping, deep cleaning, and staging. These remove buyer objections and typically return several times their cost. Skip major remodels — buyers will change them anyway, and you rarely get the money back.
Preparation is where sellers most often waste money — either by doing nothing, or by over-improving. Our job is the prioritized middle: a walk-through that produces a specific punch list, budgeted and sequenced, with a projected return on every line.
What returns the most for the least?
| Improvement | Typical cost | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Interior paint (neutral) | $3,000–$10,000 | Almost always worth it |
| Staging | $3,000–$15,000 | Worth it, especially vacant & luxury homes |
| Landscaping refresh | $1,500–$8,000 | Worth it — first impressions are literal here |
| Lighting & fixtures | $500–$3,000 | High return for the cost |
| Deep clean + windows | $500–$1,500 | Non-negotiable |
| Kitchen remodel | $75,000+ | Skip — rarely returns its cost at sale |
| Bathroom remodel | $30,000+ | Usually skip |
Our preparation sequence
- Walk-through and punch list. We tour the home like a buyer would and write down every objection.
- Pre-sale inspections. Home, termite, roof — standard in Contra Costa and worth every penny.
- Repairs and paint. Our contractor list, your budget, no surprises.
- Landscaping and exterior. The photo that decides whether buyers click is taken from the street.
- Staging and photography. Scheduled together so the home debuts at its absolute peak.