October 15, 2025 | Selling
Checklist for Selling a House in 2025
Are you thinking about selling your beloved home? Whether you are selling a condo, townhouse, detached family home or estate property, this checklist is designed to streamline the process of selling, no matter the style of home.
From beginning to end, selling is a multistep process and having an agent/team that understands this and considers your needs along the way makes all the difference.
Decluttering & Depersonalizing
Decluttering your home is the first and most important step when you begin to think about selling your home. The key thing to remember is that prospective buyers want to visualize their life in your space. When homes are not decluttered, the signs of everyday chaos can be red flags for buyers.
When you walk into a space, whether it has been professionally staged or not, having a blank canvas is always better than living in a space for the sake of selling.
Start by putting away seasonal items, items like out-of-season clothing, accessories and outerwear. From there, begin putting away any home projects or home decor that does not serve a purpose in your everyday life.
Once you have done this, consider removing additional pillows, pictures/wall decor and blankets that make the space feel crammed.
Taking Your Footprint Out of the Home
Beyond just decluttering, it is key to depersonalize your space. Sellers often don’t realize how much of their home is unique to them because they are used to living in their space. The most common personal items include family photos, kids drawings and photos on the fridge, decor items pertaining to family, friends and pets.
Other than that, take a look around your home from the position of a buyer and see if anything sticks out to you that gives away the kind of homeowner that lives in the home. Signs of pets can be off-putting to some buyers, as they think about the potential of damage and overall wear and tear.
The end goal is to create a neutral environment that feels open, airy and calming.
Minor Maintenance and Repairs
Next, we get into the nitty-gritty. Home maintenance and repairs are a large part of preparing your home for sale.
This means that those unfinished home projects will need to be wrapped up once and for all! It is key to declutter before you begin maintenance and repairs because with the help of a staging consult and your Realtor’s advice, you may end up having to patch holes where wall art/decor once was.
Other times, during a staging consult, the stager may recommend small fixes, such as swapping out ceiling lights and wall sconces. If you plan on making these changes, consider the repairs and clean-up required.
Want to sell your house for top dollar? Find more helpful advice in these blogs!
- Is Your Home Priced to Sell?
- How to Choose a Realtor When Selling
- Tips for Showing Your House While Living in it
Cleaning Your Space
Once your space is clean and now has a neutral palette, you will want to think about cleaning. There are many options for this– you can choose to prepare and surface clean the home yourself, or we can help you source out a reliable home cleaner and have the home cleaned professionally.
Your choice will ultimately depend on what we think your home needs. If you have young kids, have a busy work and home life or are selling the home from the position of an investor, hiring a professional cleaner might make the most sense.
The Value of Staging
Now that the home is clean, let’s talk about staging. Staging is a strong service for homes that can benefit from a neutral colour palette. A lot of the time, homes do not require staging because decluttering has gone a long way in making the home visually appealing.
However, for the homes that require staging, we often recommend an accessory stage. An accessory stage will add items that spruce up the home. Common items include lamps, neutral-toned pillows, different wall art, small fake plants, etc. These are all items that are appealing to the buyers.
Ask us about our staging services and what we recommend for your home— we are happy to offer a home evaluation for your peace of mind.
Set A Lasting Impression
Your home is more than just its interior makeup — what about the exterior? Despite the time of year, boosting your curb appeal is an important selling feature.
In the spring and summer months, outdoor landscaping will show the prospective buyers your pride of ownership and signal to them that the home has been well-maintained. Fresh mulch, flowers and cutting back the weeds and bushes are all recommended outdoor maintenance for the spring and summer months.
What about the home…a fresh coat of paint on the ledges of windows, front porch and even front door, sets the tone for what buyers can expect on the interior. It is the exterior that draws you in.
A quick tip: include an inviting welcome mat to add appeal from the moment the client is on the front doorstep. Exterior lighting is also a great concept for homes that have large flowerbeds, backyard spaces and paths leading you to the front porch. Lighting can complete the look, particularly for mid-century modern homes.
If you are interested in the process of moving and what this looks like for you, check out our moving checklist for a complete guide!
Pick a Price (Why a Home Evaluation Matters)
As expected, the main thing you should be preparing for when thinking about selling your home in 2025 is the market conditions. Having an experienced Realtor evaluate your home’s price in today’s market is the ideal place to begin your journey.
Your Realtors will sift through all of the local comps in your area and come up with a price that makes the most sense based on existing and previous inventory/ combined with the current market numbers.
Ultimately, a realistic price is going to attract the right buyer to your home. Between you and your agent, you will communicate your expectations and needs, and they will use this information to help price your home fairly.
Marketing Your Home
Your Realtor will start rolling out a continuous marketing plan. However, a skilled marketer will begin with a coming soon reel or sizzle reel to tease the home hitting the market and build client/agent anticipation.
From there, the just-listed post will go out on social media, paired with an SEO driven caption to boost the algorithm. After that, creative marketing will draw in a larger audience and help the home appear fresh on social media.
Your Realtor should have a full understanding of the target audience for your home and adjust the social media posts and plan accordingly.
Selling your home soon? Check out these blogs for more advice.
- Should You Buy or Sell First?
- Is It The Right Time To Sell My Home- Here’s What You Need to Know
- Beyond Four Walls: How to Leverage Community Amenities When Selling Your Home
Hitting the Market
Now it is time to list the home! Your agent will present you with a listing agreement, which outlines the length you are bound to work with that Realtor, grants permission for your home to appear on the MLS and outlines the price of your property.
Your agent will also send over other legal documents that illustrate the terms of working with a real estate agent in Ontario. Once these are signed, then the listing can be drafted into the systems and soon posted to the public on the MLS and its affiliated websites (Zolo, House Sigma and Realtor.ca)
Congrats… Your Home Is Listed!
Once your home is listed, showings will quickly begin. It is important to keep your home in a clean and ready condition during the process of selling it. Depending on the amount of notice you require before a showing, you may leave for work and have a showing scheduled that same day.
Open houses will happen on the weekends too! This is a great way for your agent to market your home to potential buyers and is normally 2 hours in length. When your home is being shown/ hosting an open house, it is expected that you will leave the home. Aligning your schedule with your agent’s plan is key to success!
For more information about selling your home — connect with one of our Capstone REPs today!
Ready to sell? We can help! Reach us by email at info@capstonereps.com or call 519.824.9050.
Ready to Get Started?
Thinking about buying or selling a home in Guelph or Wellington County? Start the conversation with our team today.
