# Decide which repairs and updates are worth doing before I sell

A prioritized prep list that separates fixes worth the money from projects that won't pay back, plus a decluttering and staging plan.

- Topic: Thinking & Decisions
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Fill-in Template, Step-by-step
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/decide-which-repairs-and-updates-are-worth-doing-before-i-sell

## Prompt

```text
Help me get my home ready to sell. This is step 1 of selling my home.

**Home details:** [type, size, age, bedrooms and bathrooms, location]
**Known issues:** [e.g. "leaky faucet, old roof, dated kitchen, scuffed walls"]
**Budget and time for prep:** [AMOUNT, WEEKS until I want to list]
**Am I still living there?** [yes / no, kids, pets]
**Local market:** [e.g. "homes sell fast", "buyers are picky"]

Do this:
1. Sort every item into: must fix (safety, things an inspector or lender will flag, visible water damage), worth doing (cheap fixes with big first-impression impact: paint, lighting, caulk, landscaping, deep clean), and probably skip (big remodels that rarely return their full cost before a sale).
2. For each item: rough cost range marked [CONFIRM with a local quote], time needed, and DIY or hire out.
3. Suggest whether a pre-listing inspection makes sense for my home.
4. Give me a room-by-room declutter and staging plan: what to remove, depersonalize, and highlight, plus curb appeal steps.
5. Plan how to keep the house show-ready while living in it (a 15-minute reset routine, where pets and kids go during showings).

Return: a prioritized table (Item | Category | Cost range | Time | Who), a week-by-week prep schedule, and a photo-day checklist. Keep it - next I'll choose a listing agent.
```

## What to fill in

- type, size, age, bedrooms and bathrooms, location
- e.g. "leaky faucet, old roof, dated kitchen, scuffed walls"
- AMOUNT, WEEKS until I want to list
- yes / no, kids, pets
- e.g. "homes sell fast", "buyers are picky"
- CONFIRM with a local quote

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.