If you’re thinking of selling your home this spring, don’t wait to get it ready.
Housing inventory has been historically low, but signs of spring activity are beginning to give frustrated buyers hope! The low inventory has been driving up demand and setting the real estate market up for a very busy spring in 2022. Don’t be fooled into thinking the winter lull will last forever and that inventory will stay low forever. Take advantage of this seller’s market and list now! Do not think that any home will sell at any condition for top $$ - the market is hot, however buyers are still being choosy because they know they are paying top $$. You have one chance to make a first impression, do not gamble with your largest investment; take the time to prepare your home and consult with a professional; it will make you a lot of money to follow these simple steps.
Here are 10 tips for getting your home ready for the early spring market in just 30 days:
1. Find out the value of your home
Research your local housing market
First and foremost, make sure to do your homework on the value of your home. Start by researching the local housing market through Realtor.com. Take a look at comparable sales in your neighborhood to figure out the appropriate listing price for your home. Pay attention to the various comps’ square footage, features and location. Finally, think about how they compare to your home. For example, your neighbor’s home may have sold for $1 million, but if your home is considerably smaller, you’ll most likely need to list your house for less. Of course, a reputable Realtor should be able to assist with finding comps and determining a listing price for your house.
2. Find a listing agent
Speaking of Realtors, we highly recommend enlisting a professional real estate agent to list your home. When interviewing a listing agent, be sure to ask about their experience in your neighborhood, connections to potential buyers and social media expertise. The Realtor should be able to give you a thoroughly laid out plan for how they are going to sell your home. Contact Wendy Dyes; Director of Luxury Home sales and Nashville’s Top Agent. She can guide you through the entire home selling process, has trusted vendors, and offers a White Glove Selling Service to her clients. Guaranteed to make the process easy and get you the most money for your home.
3. Buy more light bulbs - Brighten Up!
Go ahead and stock up on light bulbs. When showing your house to potential buyers, all light fixtures and lamps will need to be turned on. For this reason, it’s important that all lights in your home have working light bulbs.
Invest in smart LED lamp A low-cost but effective way of showcasing your home is making it appear brighter. Buyers prefer bright cheerful homes to those that appear dark and cramped. Keep drapes and shades open to allow more natural light into the home. Awnings on decks should be retracted. Replacing low wattage light bulbs with brighter ones and changing some fixtures out completely will open and brighten up a room instantly. You would be amazed how adding a lamp to a dark corner can open up and add space to the entire room.
4. Paint Rooms
home-improvement-painting-walls
This is one of the more efficient and least expensive ways to spruce up the rooms in your home. Getting a fresh coat of paint on walls will instantly brighten them up and make the home look like new. Wake up drab rooms with a splash of color. Or use more neutral colors for a safer, more current and updated look. Painting rooms also helps to maximize space and make them appear larger and is one of the biggest returns on your investment of any home improvement project.
5. Curb Appeal
Landscaped front yard of a house with flowers and green lawn
Curb appeal is as important as ever, even with the snow. While in the springtime, your home may feature freshly trimmed bushes, clear walkways, fresh mulch, and well-kept lawns, having a clean snow removal job can present a positive picture to a buyer as well. Get rid of dead leaves, branches, and weeds which may be showing through the snow, or on walkways you’ve cleared. When buyers pull up and see a well-kept yard, it means the home is well-kept on the inside as well.
6. Make Small Fixes
As buyers tour your home, if they spot a broken railing or leaky faucet, it gives the impression that everything in the house hasn’t been cared for. That’s why it’s so important to take the time to repair any small projects you’ve been putting off. Replace missing tiles, fix torn screens, touch up holes or cracks in walls. Replace cracked windowpanes and moldings. Making repairs like these won’t cost a lot of money, yet they will have a huge impact on a buyer’s impression of your home. Hire a handyman; if you need recommendations Wendy Dyes has a list of vetted contractors to help. If you fix the small things it will give buyers confidence to choose your home over another. With the home prices going up buyers to not have discretionary money to make repairs after closing. This will give you an extra edge when selling.
7. Depersonalize your home
When selling a home, you want to strike the perfect balance between depersonalization and creating a warm, welcoming home. This means putting away the majority of framed photos, bulletin boards and personal items (think: photo albums, magazines, toys, equipment, awards, etc) throughout the home. Leave a few nice, framed photos around the house to make the home appear inviting and lived in.
8. De-Clutter
The less you have, the larger your home will appear. Since getting buyers into the home is half the battle, make sure they don’t lose interest because your house is brimming over with stuff that could easily be placed in a closet or drawer. De-cluttering doesn’t mean getting rid of everything, but it means organizing and removing most of your stuff. Most rooms have too many pieces of furniture. Remove at least one piece to thin the room out and move furniture away from walls. Buyers should be able to freely move around the rooms, not bump into end tables and ottomans. Reduce the number of books in shelves, and remove vases, statues, or clocks from tables. Don’t forget to de-personalize as well. Buyers like to envision themselves living in the home. This means taking down family photos and removing notes and postcards from the refrigerator.
9. Clean Like You’ve Never Cleaned Before
Cleaning the house before it goes on the market is one of the most essential tasks you can do. We recommend you dedicate more than one afternoon to getting your home to sparkle. Set aside a few days to clean rooms from top to bottom. The kitchen and bathrooms need to be immaculate. When was the last time you cleaned the windows in your house? Get the Windex out! This is a simple inexpensive way to bring more light into rooms and make even older windows look new again. Wash curtain sheers. Shampoo rugs. Make the beds. Dust shelves. Counters, sinks, tubs, and appliances should sparkle. Clean all switch plates. A bright, spotless house will make your home much more appealing to buyers.
10. Staging and Professional photos
Given that many potential buyers search for homes online, it’s crucial to include high quality, professional photos in your online listing and that your home is staged to sell. Without excellent high resolution images, potential buyers may (sadly) overlook your home. So before putting it on the market, go ahead and hire a professional photographer to snap photos of your clean and staged abode. Keep in mind that a Realtor should be able to help with finding a photographer, so be sure to ask who they use when interviewing real estate agents for the job.
Contact us to find the right agent who will walk you through all the steps in preparation of selling your home.
Call Wendy Dyes; Director of Luxury home sales with Keller Williams 615-807-0340