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The 30-Day Home Prep Guide
A day-by-day plan to get your home ready to sell in a month.
How to Use This Plan
This is a day-by-day plan for getting your home ready to sell in about a month. Each day has one focus and a short checklist. Two days are set aside for rest, because a month of prep is a lot.
The schedule bends to your needs. If you are working, caring for a parent, or managing the sale from out of town, stretch it. If a room is already in good shape, skip ahead. The order matters more than the pace: paperwork and vendors first, then rooms, then repairs and the yard, then the deep clean, staging and photos.
It comes from Maggie B. Hopkins at Surroundings. We can connect you with painters, landscapers, inspectors and contractors for every item on these lists.
Plan My 30 Days With Maggie
Week One: Light, Paperwork, Access and Vendors (Days 1 to 6)
Day 1. Brighten the space. Lighting is one of the first things buyers notice. Let in as much natural light as you can, replace burned-out bulbs so every light works, keep bulb color consistent from room to room, and open blinds and curtains before every showing. A mirror across from a window brings more daylight into a room.
Day 2. Document your home's story. Gather utility bills, permits, receipts, warranties and any HOA documents and CC&Rs. Look over title items such as liens, deeds and trust documents. Start your disclosures, and note anything that needs attention before market.
Day 3. Set up access. Make an extra set of keys and plan access for cleaners, handymen and stagers. Your agent sets up a MetroList lockbox once the home is live, so buyers' agents can show it without a scheduling scramble.
Day 4. Get moving with boxes. Buy boxes, tape and supplies early. Pack with intention: keep, donate or store. Consider a portable storage container or off-site storage to keep rooms open.
Day 5. Review key systems and schedule vendors. Look at heating and air, plumbing, electrical, the roof, windows, any pool surface and equipment, termite and pest, the sewer or septic line, and appliances. Addressing known issues up front can prevent delays later in escrow.
Day 6. Assess what buyers see first. These are the first things people notice walking up and in: exterior power washing, interior and exterior paint, popcorn ceilings, landscaping, gutters and fencing.
Week Two: Room by Room (Days 7 to 15)
- Day 7. Bedrooms. Remove personal items, use neutral bedding and pillows, clear the nightstands, organize the closet and make the bed crisp.
- Day 8. Living room. Remove extra furniture, declutter shelves and surfaces, style seating with a few soft accents and open the curtains.
- Day 9. Dining space. Clear the table, keep decor spare, and use fresh, neutral place settings. Fresh flowers or fruit warm up the room.
- Day 10. Garage. Show its working features, such as laundry, storage and workbenches. Make sure the garage door and openers work, and clear out what you do not need.
- Day 11. Store, donate or sell, or throw away. Sort what is left into three piles. Renting a storage container or unit for a month before listing can be worth it.
- Day 12. Kitchen. Clear the counters and store small appliances. Deep clean the oven, stovetop and microwave, wipe cabinet fronts and hardware, shine the sink and take everything off the fridge.
- Day 13. Entrance. Store shoes and coats, wipe the front door, touch up paint and add an entry rug.
- Day 14. Depersonalize. Pack away family photos and personal collections, keep one or two pieces of art per room, and group packed items together for an organized first unpack.
- Day 15. Take a day off. You have earned it.
Week Three: Details, Repairs and the Yard (Days 16 to 22)
Day 16. Clean up the details. Touch up paint, grout and small imperfections, and use matching paint and sheen so the patches disappear.
Day 17. Repair what you have been avoiding. Fix leaky or loose faucets, tighten cabinet hardware and door handles, stop running toilets, fix squeaky or sticky doors, and replace cracked outlet covers. Small repairs tell buyers the home has been looked after.
Day 18. Windows. Clean the glass, tracks, frames and screens, and replace damaged screens and blinds. In Sacramento's sunny climate, clean windows show in person and in listing photos.
Day 19. Carpets and rugs. Use a neutral, low-odor cleaner, spot treat stairs and high-traffic areas, steam clean, and replace carpet if odors stay.
Days 20 to 22. The yard. In back, mow, trim trees and shrubs, pull weeds, fix broken sprinkler heads, power wash decks and patios and add fresh mulch or plants. In front, clean or paint the front door, polish the hardware, add a fresh welcome mat and power wash the porch and driveway.
Week Four: Clean, Stage and Launch (Days 23 to 30)
- Day 23. Bathrooms. Remove soap scum, clean the tub, shower and toilet, clear bottles and personal items, wipe counters and mirrors and set out fresh white towels.
- Day 24. Professional detail clean. Clean walls, doors, ceilings, fans, vents, light fixtures, baseboards, switches, outlets, and the inside of cabinets and drawers.
- Day 25. Take another day off.
- Day 26. Make the home smell good. Address odors at the source, wash pet bedding and soft surfaces, keep litter boxes clean and out of sight, and use only a light scent after cleaning.
- Day 27. Walk through your home. Finalize the furniture flow, remove oversized pieces and make each room's purpose clear.
- Day 28. Staging. Have spaces cleared and ready, plan to be out while the stager works, and come back to a photo-ready home. Staging helps buyers picture themselves living there.
- Day 29. Photo day. Make the beds, clear surfaces, put away laundry and dishes, tidy outdoor spaces and mow.
- Day 30. Your showing plan. Build a short daily routine to keep the home photo-ready, plan where pets go during showings, and leave the home comfortable for buyers to explore.
Around launch, we capture professional photography, an interior walk-through video, aerial footage where it fits the property, and twilight shots.
Where to Spend, and Where to Hold Back
Most of this plan costs time, not money: light, cleaning, decluttering and small repairs. The bigger spends to weigh are paint, landscaping, a professional clean and staging. Big remodels rarely return their full cost before a sale.
Some homes are better sold in their current condition, priced for a buyer who wants to do the work. Before you spend on anything large, ask us to compare what each path could net you. Our seller's guide covers pricing and escrow, and a home valuation tells you where you stand before day one.
Download the Full Guide
The full 30-Day Home Prep Guide is a printable workbook with a checkbox for every task.
Your Next Step
Before day one, walk the house with us. We will tell you which items on this list matter most for your home, which to skip, and which vendors to call. Tell us about your home and your timing or call (916) 549-3131.
This guide is general information and is not legal or tax advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get my home ready to sell in 30 days?
Often, yes, when the home needs cleaning, small repairs and staging rather than major work. If it needs a roof or a full update, the timeline is longer, or it may make sense to sell it in its current condition.
What should I do first?
Start with paperwork and vendors. Gather documents, start your disclosures and get painters, cleaners and inspectors on the calendar in the first week, because their schedules set the pace for everything else.
Do I need to stage my home?
Staging helps buyers picture themselves in the home and helps the photos. Whether to stage a full house, a few rooms or nothing depends on the home and your budget, and we can walk through it with you.
Should I get inspections before listing?
Reviewing the roof, plumbing, electrical, sewer line and termite condition before listing can surface problems while you still have time to decide how to handle them. Your disclosures still need to cover what you know.
Can you help if I'm not living in the house?
Yes. We coordinate vendors, cleaning, staging and photos and send you updates, so the prep can happen while you are somewhere else.
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