Tips For Selling Your Home This Spring
Spring is the traditional start of the home-selling season, and this year expects to follow that trend. In fact, this home-selling season may be more active than in previous years as potential homebuyers want to act before home prices and interest rates increase.
Even though it is a buyer’s market, it’s still important to get your home “showroom ready” before you put it on the market. Here are steps to take to prepare your home for sale this spring:
Declutter – When preparing your home for sale, the first thing you should do is get rid of clutter. Few things will turn away a potential buyer quicker than a cluttered, messy home. Storage space is a huge selling point, make the most of yours by removing unused items from closets, drawers, cabinets, and even your garage. Store out of season clothing and personal items elsewhere (i.e. a friend or family member’s home, a storage unit) while your home is on the market to maximize storage space.
A clean, clutter-free home looks bigger and more appealing to buyers than one that’s stuffed to the brim with, well, stuff.
Deep Clean – Now that your home is free of clutter, it’s time for deep cleaning. From baseboards to fixtures, from appliances to windows, everything should be spotless and sparkling. If you don’t feel it’s clean enough, it probably isn’t. Potential buyers will inspect your home with kid gloves, so make your entire home sparkles, especially in the kitchen and bathrooms.
If you don’t have time to deep clean your home or can’t stand the thought of cleaning, consider hiring a professional to do your dirty work.
Make Repairs and Upgrades – If you’ve been putting off that “honey-do” list, now is the time to tackle it. One of the easiest (and least expensive) fixes is tightening loose cabinet handles and replacing all light bulbs to LED bulbs. Light, bright homes tend to show better, so replace any burnt-out light bulbs and maximize natural light wherever possible.
If you plan on repainting the walls, choose neutral tones – especially if you need to paint over your bright purple office wall. Neutrals all appealing to most and lighter tones empower the buyer to envision their own color on the walls. If a full paint job isn’t an option, scrub and touch up the paint on baseboards, doors, and walls.
Fix the leaky faucets, patch and paint over the holes in the wall, tighten any loose hinges or doorknobs. Buyers will notice the little things, and it can detract from the value and positive aspects of your home.
Curb appeal – If your home doesn’t appeal to potential buyers from the outside, they’re less likely to find out what it looks like inside. In fact, curb appeal has the potential to increase your home’s perceived value by up to 10 percent.
For maximum curb appeal, the outside should be clean and inviting. Mow the lawn and trim the shrubs; replace dead grass and shrubs, if necessary. Clear the walkways of weeds and debris. Touch up the paint on the window trim. Add a pop of color with some flowers, a decorative bench, or by painting your front door. (Tip: the color yellow evokes a buying emotion)
Staging Your Home – A good rule of thumb is to remove about half your furniture when staging your home. Less furniture will make your home look bigger and more appealing to buyers, as well as allow them to envision their belongings in the home. If your current furniture and décor lacks appeal or is outdated, or if you have already moved your furniture out of the house, consider renting furniture and décor to stage your home.
Once your home is staged, complete the look by adding some finishing touches to give it some extra flair. Potential buyers love to see a bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen counter, fresh flowers in vases, and folded towels in the bathroom. It’s the little things that really do make a difference!
In addition to these home preparation tips, it goes without saying that another recommended way to sell your home is to hire an expert real estate agent that looks out for your best interests and markets your house appropriately. If you are ready to sell your current house and start the search for your dream home, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices John M. Brabham Real Estate would be honored to help you. Visit our website or call 803-775-1201 to schedule an appointment.
Sources
https://www.thebalance.com/top-ways-to-sell-your-home-in-the-spring-1799025
https://www.conejovalleyguy.com/springmarket/
https://www.bankrate.com/finance/real-estate/tips-sell-home-this-spring-1.aspx
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