It is stressful selling a home; there are so many things to do. Here are some things you can do upfront that will make the process go smoother.

1. Get a NetSheet from your Realtor. There are fees and costs. You may as well know these from day one.

2. Begin to de-clutter immediately. You are going to move so start the process right away. You can rent a Pod to put things that will be going right in front of your home.

3. Go ahead and get a Property Inspection – and be prepared to repair items that may be called on by the Buyer. If the Property inspector suggest further reports go ahead and get those and take care of issues.

4. Complete all of the Seller Real Estate Forms immediately including the Seller Questionnaire and Transfer Disclosure Statement. Fill these out completely and accurately.

5. Make sure Smoke Detectors, Carbon Monoxide Alarms are in place before the Appraisal visit. Other wise the appraiser will need to re-visit and will charge for the re-visit (the Buyer will not be happy). Also make sure there are two straps properly secured around the water heater.

6. The appraiser may take a picture of the attic and crawl space; make sure those are clear to enter. If your fences is missing boards the appraiser (especially FHA appraisals) will require that to be fixed.

7. Once your Realtor has listed the property on the MLS – get a copy and study the MLS to make sure everything is correct and disclosed. You do want to make sure that the Disclosures are posted online for review by other Realtors.

Doing these things at the beginning of your sale will make the sale go a lot smoother for you and you can spend your time focusing on your new home and all the details on that end !