You’ve removed the dated wallpaper, taken down the faded drapes and de-cluttered all of the rooms.

Now one step closer to selling your house, it’s time to spend a few minutes (or hours) putting together the numeric history of your house. Here’s what that means.

Make a list of all the typical monthly household expenses, including gas, water, electric, gardener, pest control, pool cleaner, trash and sewer, cable, internet, satellite TV, septic service and Christmas-light service. While you’re at it, list the names and contact numbers of those service providers – large companies and small businesses alike.

If you have a large home, a large family, homeschool and run a business from your house, work up a summary of all the electronic devices powered up daily. This will help the buyers understand the electricity bill better.

If you run the air conditioner all summer and the heater all winter, these bills can also help to explain the monthly utilities.  On the other hand, if you enjoy the SoCal climate and use your ceiling fans more than the AC, this might also be helpful for buyers to evaluate bills vs. what they might be charged. If you run your washing machine twice a day to keep on top of cloth diapers, this also can help evaluate bills.

Don’t forget the lease bill for the solar system, and the monthly bill from the power company. If you own the solar system atop the roof, include the monthly fee/credit as well as the annual assessment. If there are significant swings depending on the season, an example of these highs and lows would be helpful.

Now to the landscape. If you have trees in the yard (front, side and/or back) and are proactive about keeping drains clear by having them serviced annually, that would be a good number for prospective buyers.  And if these trees look so beautiful thanks to the arborist who trims them twice a year, the cost to keep them looking that way is key information for buyers.

Come the holidays, if your house is the anchor for the annual neighborhood “Best Christmas Decorations” and the winner 14 out of the last 15 years, not only will you want to disclose this so a new owner is prepared for the lines of cars driving by from Thanksgiving through New Year’s, but also to prepare them for the cost of setting up the lights and inflatables, along with the cost to keep them lit and full of air, respectively.

Leslie Sargent Eskildsen is an agent with RealtyOne Group West and a member of the California Association of Realtors’ board of directors.  She can be reached at 949-678-3373 or [email protected].