The Platinum Group, REALTORS®Weldon HobbsColorado Springs | REALTOR® | Veteran
Selling a Home

How should I prepare my Colorado Springs home to sell?

By Weldon Hobbs · Team Hobbs Realty
Published · Last reviewed

Start earlier than you think. I recommend talking with a real estate professional up to a year before you plan to list, because some preparation is worth doing months ahead and some is best saved for the final weeks. Declutter first, scope and phase projects like paint and carpet, and know the age of your roof and major systems. For an older home, a pre-listing inspection can show you what to fix or what to discount. Then price, prepare, and present the home so the photos and the showing match.

Why start about a year out

Putting your home on the market is stressful. Almost any home can be prepared in a few weeks, but compressing everything into that window is hard on your schedule, your budget, and your frame of mind.

If you have an inkling that a move might be coming, it's worth a conversation now. I recommend calling a real estate professional about twelve months ahead, because some steps make sense to do early and some don't. When you can stage and phase the work over months, the last few weeks before listing are far calmer.

Everything that follows rests on three steps: price, prepare, and present. Preparation is what makes a home present well, and both only pay off when the price fits the market.

What to do months ahead

Declutter first

Decluttering is the number one item on almost every home I walk through. It's also the easiest to spread out. A room or a closet at a time over several months is far less draining than clearing a whole house in a weekend. If you're clearing a home after decades, see how to prepare a longtime family home without becoming overwhelmed.

Scope the projects, then phase them

Walk the house and list the projects: repainting, replacing worn carpet, fixtures, and repairs. Once you understand the scope, you can decide what to do, what to skip, and what order makes sense. Not every project earns its cost back, so it's worth deciding what to repair before selling and what not to fix before you spend.

Know the age of your roof and major systems

One of the first things I ask about is the age of the roof, the furnace, the air conditioning, and the water heater.

In my experience, once a roof here is more than about 10 years old, two things tend to show up: higher insurance premiums, and 10 years of Colorado weather. It's worth being mentally prepared that a buyer could ask you to replace it. Sometimes that's needed. Sometimes the better answer is to take the cost off the price. It depends on your goals and whether speed or return matters more to you. See why homeowners insurance varies between Colorado Springs houses and whether to replace your roof before selling.

Keep one expectation in mind. Buyers treat the roof, the heating and cooling, and other systems as maintenance. Replacing them before you sell can make the home easier to sell, but it's unlikely to come back dollar for dollar. Putting money into a house doesn't mean you'll get it back right away.

Decide whether a pre-listing inspection makes sense

The age and condition of the home shape the plan.

  • For an older home, a pre-listing inspection and contractor estimates show you what's there before a buyer's inspector finds it. That matters most when you plan to sell as-is. A homeowner with plenty of equity but limited cash, which is common for longtime owners and older sellers, can choose not to make repairs. But you won't know how much to discount the price unless you've gone through the inspection and estimates first.
  • For a newer home, preparation is usually about presentation: the projects that make it look its best in photos and in person.

Take exterior photos in the right season

If you plan to sell in the winter or early spring, I recommend having the outside photos taken the summer before. The inside doesn't need to be ready yet. When the home goes on the market, the listing shows green grass and full trees instead of slush and bare branches.

What to save for the final weeks

Some steps only work close to listing day, because they wear off or depend on the current market:

In one recent sale, the seller had his own movers. I coordinated junk removal to clear the rest of the house, then cleaners, then staging and professional photos, in that order, to position the home to sell.

Your first showing happens on a phone

A buyer's first look at your home is almost always on a phone. You want them to scroll through the photos and think, "I want to go see that home." Then, when they walk in, you want that feeling to match what they saw.

That's why curb appeal and the inside preparation both matter. In the National Association of REALTORS® 2025 Profile of Home Staging, 83% of buyers' agents said staging makes it easier for buyers to picture the home as their own, and about half of sellers' agents said staging reduced time on the market. The median cost of a staging service was $1,500, compared with $500 when the listing agent staged the home. Staging doesn't fix a price that's too high, but it helps a well-priced home stand out.

Colorado Springs details to gather before you list

A few items are specific to selling here, and they're easier to collect months ahead than in the week you sign a contract:

  • Your Seller's Property Disclosure. Colorado's standard purchase contract requires the seller to deliver the Real Estate Commission's Seller's Property Disclosure form by a set deadline. You complete it yourself, to your current actual knowledge, covering the roof, systems, water, and more. Gather receipts, warranties, and records of roof work and insurance claims now.
  • Permit history. The Pikes Peak Regional Building Department has a public permit search. It's worth confirming that past work, such as a basement finish, a deck, or a replaced roof or furnace, was permitted and closed out.
  • Radon test results. Colorado's purchase contract notes that sellers are required to give buyers any known radon test results for the home. If you've tested or mitigated, find the paperwork.
  • HOA documents. If you're in a homeowners association, the contract obligates the seller to provide the association's documents to the buyer by a deadline. Knowing how to get them, and what fees apply, avoids delays.

A simple way to decide where to start

  • If the home is newer and in good shape, focus on decluttering, cosmetic projects, and presentation.
  • If the home is older, or you'd rather not make repairs, start with a pre-listing inspection and estimates, then decide between fixing items and pricing them in.
  • If speed matters more than the last dollar, do less, price for the condition, and present it well.
  • If return matters more, give yourself more time to phase the work.
  • If you're not sure which you are, start with your goals. That decides everything else.

If you're thinking about selling in the next year, I can help you sort out which projects are worth doing, which aren't, and when to do each one, so the last few weeks are calm. Let's talk through your timeline.

What could change the answer

  • Your timeline. A move on short notice shifts the plan toward pricing for condition rather than phasing projects.
  • The age and condition of the home. Older homes and aging roofs or systems make a pre-listing inspection more valuable.
  • Your cash versus your equity. Limited cash can make an as-is sale, priced for what an inspection finds, the better path.
  • The market when you list. In a slower market, preparation and presentation carry more weight.
  • An HOA or insurance issue. Association rules or an insurance problem tied to the roof can change what's worth fixing first.

When to talk with a professional

A real estate professional can help you decide what to do and when, based on the homes you'll be competing with. A home inspector can tell you what a buyer's inspector is likely to find. Contractors can give the estimates you need to decide between repairing and pricing in. An insurance agent can explain how your roof's age affects coverage and premiums. For questions about your disclosure obligations, a Colorado real estate attorney is the right person to ask.

About the author

Weldon Hobbs is a Colorado Springs REALTOR® and co-founder of Team Hobbs Realty. He is a member of The Platinum Group, REALTORS®, Colorado Springs' #1 independent brokerage, which pairs deep local expertise with premium marketing exposure. A U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and retired Air Force veteran, he and his family made more than 10 military moves. Since 2006, he and his wife, Kristen, have bought and sold their own homes, managed a portfolio of rental properties, and guided others through their own real estate decisions. He has also helped both family members and clients downsize, where the decisions are often complex and the process can feel overwhelming. Drawing on his background as a PMP® (Project Management Professional), he helps people break those decisions into clear, manageable steps.

Since beginning his real estate career, he has ranked in the top 7% by sales volume among the more than 4,000 members of the Pikes Peak Association of REALTORS®. He works with military families, seniors and downsizing clients, luxury and premium home sellers, and people relocating to Colorado Springs. He developed the Life → Wealth → Real Estate™ method, hosts the national YouTube channel Life & Real Estate After 50™, and holds an MBA along with the SRES® (Seniors Real Estate Specialist®), MRP (Military Relocation Professional), and Certified Financial Coach credentials. More about Weldon

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