Buyers are drawn to a home that's clean, uncluttered, in good repair and easy to imagine living in. In the weeks before you list, the location and layout are set. What you can change is how your home looks and works, mostly with jobs you can do yourself over several weekends.

Do them in order: ask agents first, clear out and fix, then paint and tidy the garden, and leave cleaning and styling for the last week. Bigger projects are a different decision, covered in our guide to renovations that can add value before you sell.

Ask agents what's worth fixing first

Before you spend anything, ask the agents you're talking to which jobs would matter to buyers of a home like yours. They see what buyers in your area pick up on at inspections.

Add these to your questions for a real estate agent at the appraisal (the agent's visit to estimate your price):

• Which jobs would make a difference to buyers here, and which wouldn't?
• When would the photos be taken, and who books and pays for the photographer and any styling?
• Can you show me photos of a similar home you've sold?

For the whole process, from choosing an agent to settlement, see our guide to selling your property.

The 10 jobs, and when to start them

Count back from photo day, which you'll set with the agent you choose. The times are our own rough estimates for a typical family home, so allow more if yours is bigger or needs more work.

Before you start, photograph each room on your phone, and the front from the street, the way a listing would. Looking through them as a buyer shows you what to clear, fix and clean first.

About six weeks before the photos

Declutter and depersonalise. The aim is for buyers to see the rooms, not your belongings. Pack away what you won't need before you move, clear benches and floors, and thin out wardrobes and cupboards, because buyers may look inside. Put away family photos and personal collections too.

Fix what's broken. Dripping taps, sticking doors and windows, cracked tiles, tired grout, loose handles and dead light globes are small jobs, best done before the photos and the first inspection. Some plumbing and electrical work needs a licensed tradie. To budget for anything bigger, see our guide to what pre-sale repairs cost.

Check your state's must-dos. Some states set rules that take time to meet, so start early:

• Queensland smoke alarms: when you sign a contract to sell, your home needs compliant smoke alarms. Among other things, they must be photoelectric (they sense smoke with light) and interconnected, so when one sounds they all do. From 1 January 2027 all existing homes, townhouses and units need them, sale or not (the Queensland Fire Department explains the rules).
• Queensland pools: before the buyer signs the contract, give them a pool safety certificate. If there isn't one, give them a notice saying so (a Form 36) instead, which also goes to the Queensland Building and Construction Commission.
• NSW pools and spas: the contract must include the pool's registration certificate and a certificate saying whether the pool complies, or an occupation certificate issued in the last three years. That usually means an inspection, and the NSW Government suggests contacting your council or a private certifier early. Strata or community schemes of more than two lots, and off-the-plan sales, are exempt.
• ACT reports: you'll usually need building and pest reports from inspections done no more than three months before the home is first advertised or listed with an agent. They need to be available whenever a buyer could make an offer. Some units, and homes that have never been lived in, are exempt from one or both reports under ACT law.
• ACT ads: every ad must show the home's energy efficiency rating.

Your conveyancer or solicitor, who handles the legal side of the sale, can tell you what else applies to your home.

Two to four weeks before

Touch up the paint. Patch holes, paint over scuffs and cover bold feature walls in a light, neutral colour. Fresh, light walls can make rooms look brighter in photos and at inspections. If you'd rather hire a painter, see what house painting costs.

Tidy the garden and the front. Mow, weed, prune and mulch, and clean the front door, letterbox and paths. The front is the first thing buyers see at an open home. Our guide to landscaping and gardening costs covers bigger outdoor jobs.

Refresh the kitchen and bathroom. Re-grout and re-seal, replace worn handles, and clean the oven, rangehood and shower screen until they shine. For more bathroom ideas, see how to stage your bathroom.

The week before the photos

Clean deeply. Wash the windows inside and out, and clean the skirting boards, light fittings, cupboards and carpets. Buyers, and the camera, may pick up the corners you've stopped seeing.

Style and light the rooms. A few borrowed or hired pieces, fresh towels and a rug can help buyers imagine living in an empty or tired room. A stylist (also called a home stager) can do a whole home, and our guide shows what home staging costs. One seller's experience is in styling your house for sale.

On the day of the photos, open every blind and turn on the lights.

Before each open home

Keep it ready. Put away the day's clutter, wipe the kitchen and bathroom, air the house and take pets out if you can. Our open home checklist covers the rest.

What can you usually skip?

• Renovations, unless you expect them to add more to the price than they cost. South Australia's government advises weighing up exactly that, and our guide to whether to renovate before selling can help you work it out.
• New appliances and upgrades chosen to your taste. A buyer may replace them anyway.
• Covering up a problem. Misleading a buyer about a property's condition can be illegal. Consumer Affairs Victoria says so, and South Australia's government says the same goes for photos.