Spring is all about fresh starts. As the snow melts and flowers start to bloom, buyers also come out of hibernation to hunt for their perfect home. That makes spring one of the best seasons to sell a home in many markets. If this spring means selling yours, then you have a job ahead of you, but with an action plan, you can be well on your way to moving into a new home. Here are five steps to keep in mind as you are preparing your home for sale.
Professional real estate agents recommend that sellers declutter and deep clean the inside of their homes before putting them on the market. This advice stands for selling a home any time of year, and in spring — as your home and yard see the sun again — you’ll want to pay attention to the outside, too. That means power washing windows, the outside of your home, and your driveway, and cleaning out the gutters.
Regular maintenance and upkeep is a necessary part of getting your home ready for the market, and there are a few projects that are more likely to come up in the spring. You probably haven’t used your air conditioning unit in several months, and that means it’s time to make sure that it is still functioning. Your roof, however, is the opposite, has it survived its winter battle with the elements? Before you start inviting potential buyers over to assess and scrutinize your home, have a home inspector thoroughly assess it to make sure you don’t have any major repair issues.
A potential buyer is likely to decide if they are interested in your home as soon as they walk toward the front door, and addressing your home’s “curb appeal” can be what convinces them to move from the curb to the inside. You don’t have to spend a fortune on landscaping to take your home’s curb appeal up a notch. Maintaining what you already have — like mowing the grass, cutting back trees and hedges, and repairing broken walkways — can be one place to start. For extra color, you can take advantage of the season and add planter boxes to the entryway as one of the simplest spring home selling tips that can lead to a big payoff.
Other than curb appeal, you can make the inside of your home look its best by getting it staging ready — designing your interior space to appeal to a wide audience. Before you show your home, you want to transform it into an inviting place for everyone. Decluttering will help, but you may want to consider hiring a professional stager who can give your house that universal welcome home feeling. Stagers may recommend that you move furniture around, add lighting, or swap out existing art for neutral pieces. Adding flowers, plants, and accents to the inside of your home are a few tips to follow for DIY staging in the spring.
Because spring is a high real estate season, your home needs to be ready to keep up with the competition. After getting your home staged, hire a professional photographer to capture it in the best light. These images will help to market your home through online and print listings and advertisements.
Spring can be a fruitful time to sell a home and if you keep these tips in mind you will be on your way to going from “for sale” to “sold.”