Most prep lists run forwards from today, which is why the photographer always arrives before the painter finishes. This one runs backwards from the day the listing goes live, so every job sits a fixed number of days behind photo day and moving the live date moves all of it.
These are the 59 tasks ClosingDay generates on a new listing, in the order they come due. Tasks that only apply to some houses are marked, and the trade each one needs is named. The last phase runs the other way, forward from launch day, because a listing that does not sell in its first weekend still needs a plan.
This is a default, not a rule. Half the skill of listing a house is deciding which of these to skip, and a seller who spends nothing on the right items beats one who spends twenty thousand on the wrong ones. Take the timing, argue with the list.
Going live on
mm/dd/yyyy
Pick the day you want the listing live and every task below turns into a real date.
59 tasks across 7 phases
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Signing, pricing, and getting the paperwork out of the way.
T-42
Sign listing agreement
T-40
Run CMA / set price strategy
T-40
Property walkthrough with seller
T-38
Pull title & tax records
T-35
Gather HOA docs
only if HOA
T-35
Complete seller disclosures (TDS, SPQ, NHD)
seller does this
T-35
Identify needed repairs / upgrades
Finding what a buyer's inspector would find, while you still control the timing.
T-35
Schedule pre-listing home inspection
Inspector
T-32
Termite / pest inspection
Pest
T-30
Sewer lateral / plumbing scope
Plumber
only if required
T-30
Pool inspection
Inspector
only if pool
T-30
Septic inspection
Inspector
only if septic
T-28
Lead paint disclosure
only if pre-1978
T-25
Review inspection reports with seller
The fixes worth making before a photographer ever arrives.
T-21
Plumbing repairs (leaky faucets, running toilets)
Plumber
T-21
Electrical fixes (outlets, switches, fixtures)
Electrician
T-19
HVAC servicing
HVAC
T-18
Termite / pest treatment
Pest
T-16
Drywall patching / spackle
Handyman
T-16
Hardware updates (handles, knobs)
Handyman
T-15
Test smoke + CO detectors
T-14
Interior painting (neutral colors)
Painter
T-14
Exterior painting / touch-ups
Painter
T-14
Roof repairs (if needed)
Roofer
The outside, and the deep clean the photos will show.
T-12
Landscaping (mow, edge, mulch, plant)
Landscaper
T-10
Power wash driveway, walkways, siding
Handyman
T-10
Clean gutters
Handyman
T-9
Front door refresh (paint or replace)
Painter
T-9
Exterior lighting check / replace bulbs
T-8
Window cleaning (inside & out)
Cleaner
T-8
Garage / storage cleanout
seller does this
T-8
Declutter & depersonalize
seller does this
T-7
Carpet steam cleaning
Cleaner
T-6
Professional deep clean (whole house)
Cleaner
Staging, floor plan, stills, drone and video.
T-9
Schedule staging consultation
Stager
T-5
Staging installation
Stager
T-5
Floor plan measurement
T-3
Professional photography (interior + exterior)
Photographer
T-3
Drone / aerial shots
Photographer
T-3
Video walkthrough / 3D tour
Videographer
T-2
Social media reels / short-form video
Videographer
MLS, syndication, signage, and the first week of marketing.
T-2
Write MLS listing description
T-1
Install sign & lockbox
T-1
Collect spare keys from seller
T-0
Enter listing in MLS
T-0
Syndicate to Zillow / Redfin / Realtor.com
T-0
Coming-soon campaign (email + social)
T--1
Just-listed email blast
T--1
Print flyers / brochures
T--3
Schedule open house
T--3
Broker tour / agent preview
The weeks after you go live, if it does not sell in the first one.
T--4
First weekend recap to the seller
T--6
Follow up with everyone who signed in at the open house
T--10
Second open house
T--14
Week two: review showing feedback with the seller
T--21
Refresh the marketing
T--28
Price and strategy conversation with the seller
T--45
Broker preview or price improvement
T--60
Check the listing agreement expiry
What the list turns into once it exists
A vendor on the task, not in your phone
Photographer, stager, landscaper, painter, cleaner and nine more. Assign one to a task and they get a no-login portal for that job, so the back and forth stops living in your texts.
Private showings your seller approves
A showing request goes to the seller, who approves or declines it from their phone. No answer by your cutoff and it approves itself, so a slow reply never costs you the appointment.
Feedback that gets chased and written down
The buyer agent gets asked, gets asked again if they go quiet, and the answer is saved on the showing instead of in your inbox.
Open house sign-in by QR code
Visitors scan and sign in on their own phone. Everyone who left an email gets a follow-up survey, and the recap to your seller is drafted for you.
A portal the seller actually uses
Their own to-do items, the ones they physically do, in a page with no login. They get a nudge two days before the photographer if anything is still open.
The weekly seller update, sent without you
A recap of the week goes out on the weekday you pick, and quiet weeks are skipped rather than padded.
Want this list in your inbox?
We’ll send all 59 tasks with the trade on each job and the seller’s own items marked.
Something here wrong for your market?
Timings vary by market and by house. If a job is in the wrong place, or one you always do is missing, tell us and we’ll fix the list.
Run it on a listing you already have
Put in the address and the date you want to go live, and the whole list comes back with real dates on it. First listing is free.