Prepare Your Home for a Spring Sale

If you have decided to list your home for a spring sale, you are one savvy seller. As temperatures rise and snow melts, home buyers hit the market — hard. A recent report found that homes listed in spring sell an average of 18 days faster, and often even for higher prices. To take full advantage of this season, get your home into the spring spirit and follow these tips to make sure you catch buyers’ eyes.

Spring (and Summer) Maintenance

Whether your buyer is moving from a Minneapolis apartment or a celebrity-like home in the Hollywood Hills, your potential buyer likely isn’t looking to spend lots of time and money preparing their new home for the spring and summer, so you should do it for them. Go through typical maintenances like cleaning or replacing HVAC filters, having the chimney inspected and cleaned, surveying the roof for winter damage, and cleaning the gutters. To make your place move-in ready, do anything that you would typically do to transition your home from winter to spring and summer, one final time.

Wash Siding & Sidewalks

Twice a year, typically in spring and fall, homeowners should survey the condition of their home’s siding and windows. Likely, you’ll find a lot of dust and grime — but that’s easy to remove if you rent a pressure washer, for as little as $25. After a long winter of salting and sanding your sidewalks, and your car dripping all over your driveway, those areas are probably looking a little unsightly as well — another way to get your money’s worth out of your pressure washer. But do exercise caution. If used improperly, pressure washers can cause damage and injury.

Repaint the Front Door

Any visitor or potential buyer is bound to get an up-close look at the front door. Do you like what they’re about to see? Paint is cheap, but it can make an enormous difference in the look and feel of your home. After you’re done with the front door, also freshen up the trim and see if the garage doors need a bit of attention as well. Do you have a wood deck? Perhaps it’s time to reseal it for a cleaner, newer look and added protection against spring rains.

Add Potted Plants

Blooming buds and fecund floral arrangements define spring, so make sure your home is participating in this beautiful sign of annual renewal. It might be too early and too cold to get plants in the ground, but add some touches of greenery and color to your front yard and porch with potted plants or window boxes. Having a few fresh flowers in vases around the home would help bring that airy, hopeful feeling indoors.

As a homeseller in spring, you’re already well-positioned for a sale (whether it’s a traditional or non-traditional financing agreement). But if you go the extra mile to get your home into the spring of things, your future buyer will thank for your it — and maybe pay you extra, too.

A Final Word on Financing

Home financing, on the seller side, can be tricky. Remember, if you’re seeking a traditional financing deal, make sure you work with a professional and licensed real estate agent. In Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky real estate, there are many experts available for hire. These folks will help you make the best of your spring sale!

Additional Resources

• Things To Avoid When Selling Your Home by Sharon Paxson
• Tips For Creating A Home Maintenance Checklist by Kyle Hiscock