Seller Checklist · 02
The prep list
that pays
What to fix, paint, remove or deliberately ignore before listing, ranked by what actually comes back in the sale price.
Presentation returns more than renovation. Cleaning, decluttering, light and paint are cheap and reliable. Kitchens and bathrooms done specifically to sell almost never return what they cost. Spend where buyers form their first impression, not where a contractor's invoice is largest.
Tier 1 · Always do these
Low cost, high return, no exceptions. If we only do one tier, it is this one.
Tier 2 · Do these if the house needs them
Real money, real return, but only where the condition is actually dragging the home down. We decide these together on the walk-through.
Tier 3 · Usually don't bother
These rarely return their cost when done purely to sell. Buyers discount for dated finishes far less than the renovation costs you.
Ottawa-specific
A few things that matter more here than the generic advice admits.
- Winter listings need a plan. Cleared walkways, a mat inside the door, a boot tray, working exterior lights, and photos shot before the snow gets grey. A buyer who arrives at a slushy walk has already started deducting.
- Summer listings sell the outside. Fresh mulch, cut edges, a set table on the deck. Outdoor space photographs as square footage.
- Basement moisture is the number one Ottawa flag. Fix the grading and the downspouts before you list. Buyers here are trained to look for it, and so is every inspector.
- Know your systems' ages. Roof, furnace, AC, windows, panel, water heater. Have the dates and receipts ready: unknown ages get priced as "due for replacement."
The week before photos
I'll walk it with you and tell you which dollars come back and which don't, including the times the answer is "do nothing, it shows fine."
General guidance for Ottawa-area homeowners. Returns vary by property, price band and market conditions; nothing here is a guarantee of sale price. Not intended to solicit sellers currently under contract with another brokerage.