Hellobee Boards

1) A HUGE amount. My MIL tried for 5 years(!!!) to sell her fathers home after he passed away. She wasn't putting much effort into it and the realtor had great reviews but was NOT proactive. And this was a gorgeous waterfront property with great schools. She eventually fired that realtor, got a younger, more proactive and passionate realtor, and it was sold within just a few months. 100% worth it.

2) Absolutely get the clutter out. It's one of the biggest things that will turn buyers away because it is distracting.. Buyers need to be able to envision what their own furniture/things would look like in the home. If you guys are really determined I would even suggest putting everything but the essentials into a storage pod and 'staging' the house. Research shows houses that are staged and professionally photographed sell faster and for more $$!

A good realtor can make a huge difference - especially if you need to unload it fast!

Unclutter and deep (professionally, ideally) clean ASAP. Have them put most of their stuff in storage, so that people can view the house and not be swayed by stuff.

I'd also figure out what the house ideally needs to sell, and then make as many upgrades as you can on a small budget - new, neutral paint you can DIY, paint kitchen cabinets if they are dated or in bad condition, sub out stained worn carpet for either new carpet or wood (laminant flooring if not hard woods).

Price is to sell and move too, which the realtor can help with

I think more importantly you have to follow the advice of the realtor. De clutter doesn't mean clean off the counter it means put stuff in storage

1) I think this is very important. They should be invested and either attending showings and/or actively soliciting any and all feedback from showings. They also should be hosting a brokers open and promoting the house to their network. I also think them being an expert in the location is key - they know what buyers in that area value the most.

2) I highly recommend meeting with realtors and asking their approach to the above (brokers open, promoting within network, attending showings, collecting feedback). I also think it is important to have a walk through with the realtor and collect tips on what can be fixed up before listing. We had a meeting with our realtor in November and were very clear with her that we had a smaller budget to "fix up" the house before selling. She gave us great tips and respected our budget. She contracted a great photographer...who did amazing by our house - it was photographed in early january...listed 2 days later. We ended up selling within 24 hours....we had multiple offers after the brokers open alone.

Here are my thoughts on how to prep a house for sale:
-Paint...cheap fix...nuetral colors (our realtor claims 85% of people cannot look past little things like paint.
-De clutter, de clutter, de clutter...this means everything, closets included. People will open them and if they see clutter they immediately think "lack of storage"
-De personalize...you want them to be able to visualize their family in your home, hard to do that when staring at pictures of your family

Other little fixes that can have huge impact: lighting fixtures, downsizing furniture (just relocating/storage), handles/fixtures updated, organization, simple decor.

Since you are dealing with parents who may not be open to full on de-clutter and pitching...we did ask our realtor about how storage rooms in basements are allowed to look. We were told they can be full of organized storage. We used a TON of plastic bins from home depot to de-clutter into our storage space in the basement. May be an option for you!!