I agree with sushipup2. You might also benefit from visiting a few open houses and/or looking closely at listings online to see how your house compares. Look at the 'solds' and track their DOM (Days on Market) and any price changes. You'll profit from making your house as 'turnkey' as possible and it will sell faster -- fewer days of keeping it fresh for showings. As for the decluttering and packing, you'll have to do that anyway when you move.

I'm not sure about talking to multiple realtors with just that question in mind but if you plan to start a listing in the next few weeks, better to spend your time first choosing the realtor to hire to represent you. Use the interviewing and choosing process, if not already done, to find out what's recommended.

I would NOT be painting the inside of a closet!!!!! Unless I read that wrong. Clean, uncluttered, super clean. Whoever buys it will change everything.

I didn’t paint my closets. I did paint the pantry because of the scuff marks from cans, etc. We received full asking price with the second showing. This was almost three years ago, before the house sales exploded.

Don't list until after the December holidays. Even in a hot seller's market in many places I imagine January will be tough given the temps in your area, but before the holidays will be worse.

I'd prioritize packing, decluttering and cleaning over paintng a closet. Declutter and declutter again. Pack it up or get rid of it. You're moving and will have to pack sooner or later. Better to do so now and create a better impression for buyers. You'll also save time and money later when you do move.

Generally—de clutter big time and clean, clean and clean again. You’d be well served to talk to some reputable realtors in your market regarding comps, how much you should do to get it market ready and timing. In our market, listings all get pulled off the market in November and December so when they go on after the super bowl they will be considered “fresh.” It’s all local in real estate, so do your homework.

WOW! Thanks everyone! I painted the entry closet because folks will need to put their coats there and it really needed a refresh. The other closet look horrible and I figured people will paint rooms but not want to do closets because they need a space for their stuff. I am decluttering like crazy and trying to clean as well. That’s what hot me down this painting closets rabbit hole. Great ideas and recommendations posted, thank you! Keep them coming. I’d love to list in January but thought being away for the holidays for visits would be better for my pets (parrot and rabbit) who are my spoiled babies. I don’t want the house to be on the market for 60+ days based on the asking price from my realtor. We painted the house exterior a couple months ago and I pressure washed the deck too. The house deserves the love and I want the new owners to live/category it but I’m getting tired.

Do you have your move already scheduled, or are you waiting until you sell your house? And, is it a long distance move, or will you make several short trips?

Lots of good advice above. An additional thought, because you say you're getting tired of all the prep. Announce on your local social media sites, or local friends/family/neighbors, that you intend to put your house on the market soon. I see that quite often in my neighborhood and it's not at all unusual for houses to change hands without being officially listed at all. Consult your realtor if that's of interest and go through the pro's/con's carefully.

@mtvhike we have our move scheduled for early February into an apartment. It’s less than 10 minutes away. We have a mover scheduled to move us. We built a retirement/vacation home that was finished last year…but we won’t be fully retired for a couple years left but wanted to take advantage of the market and do a step down in size and effort.

@chisue yes, found a real actor and she’s been helpful. I’ve been decluttering and packing, more decluttering and packing….giving stuff away and trying to sell other stuff. I do sell want it to look like a home and we’re still living here for 10-12 weeks. I also feel bad for my hubby, I don’t want it to look like an empty home since he’s having desperation issues like me as well. We’re trying to focus on the benefit of possibly retiring earlier if we get our asking price.

@ckel_kg. Great idea! I’ve already mentioned the home sale to a few neighbors to get the word out. Our little area has three parks and I’m just off the river (no river view) close to an expressway, mall, airport and a yacht club and golf course so the location is nice if you like an older established neighborhood. There’s a private HS down the street. The area, except for the river houses, is not fancy but probably not a first time home buyer area either. It’s a 4 bedroom cape cod built in 1962 and we’ve renovated every room of the house but kept the cape cod layout… no open concept.

Lidia - I did roughly the same thing. We build our retirement/vacation home before retirement, but because of the RE market, decided to sell. Discussed our desires with a RE agent, but even before she had the listing posted, someone made a good cash offer. The RE agent wanted to keep the listing, but after an open house didn't procure a better offer, she said to accept the cash one. We had done some minor cosmetic things (power washing the deck, touching up some outside paint, and repainting a couple of rooms); the buyer didn't want anything else done. We started the process in May and we closed in July.

Good luck.

When we sold our house last year, our realtor told us that the best time to list a house for the spring market is the weekend after Super Bowl Sunday. Also, in our area realtors sometimes place a “Coming Soon” sign on the front lawn to generate interest a few weeks before the house is listed.

@mtvmike congratulations on both your retirement place and home sale! So nice to hear that what I’m doing is in line with what you did…makes me feel better! Our RE said not to paint but it’s a mater of pride and the house deserved the love/care. Thanks for the good wishes!

@carolea yeh, I agree bu we have very sensitive/exotic pets and we hope a buyer will view the house while we are away for the holidays with our feathered and furry kids. It’s a lot to hope for but 🙏🏻

@Lidia I have a 15 year old dog and a 19 year old chinchilla so I understand. We were able to move into our new home before listing our house. Get advice from your realtor but do what’s best for your situation.

I actually sold a house on Super Bowl Sunday. One thing that we knew was anyone that looked at it on that day was a serious buyer. Turns out that they needed a house.

Regarding the prep. If you want to paint the closet because it bugs you, do it. Pantry and laundry room may also need some love. But, don't go wild. Consult with your realtor about what projects need to be completed and prioritize them. If you are tired, take a break. You can get it done tomorrow.

The best thing that you can do for yourself is to empty those closets one at a time and get rid of the accumulated clutter. Then, do it again. If there is anything on the floor of a closet you need to keep clearing. Then, get rid of extra furniture one room at a time. It's the one bite at a time theory. Before you know it you will have eaten the whole thing.

The more you can clean out, the better. Whether you get rid of it, move it to your rental, or put some in storage. Another thing that made a difference before I listed was to have the windows and sills professionally cleaned. Even though they never looked dirty, having them spotless really brightened everything up.

If you are exhausted, stop. Take a break and consider other market dates. Talk to your agent about putting it on the market after your scheduled move in early February. It will be far easier on you and your pets to be moved out before showings begin.

It is also easier to quickly ventilate painting fumes in Wisconsin in January if no one is living in it. And of course the closets will be empty.

You can also hire a professional cleaner to do an extra thorough "move out" cleaning once you have moved. IMHO, the work of a professional cleaner is worth every nickel. Is your goal "Polished, sparkling, spotless, dust-free with gleaming windows and new paint"? Achieving this "blue ribbon winner" goal while packing up and moving with pets is really, really hard on people who are working full time.