List Your Home in May for a Quick, Top-Dollar Sale

If you know real estate, you likely also know that spring and summer are the best times to sell. However, if you list your home during a specific two-week window you could speed up your home sale and earn an average of $2,400 more than if you decided to list another time of year. When is this two-week window? Lucky for you, it’s coming up! In fact, a new Zillow report found that the first two weeks of May are the prime period for U.S. sellers to list their home.

As this date is fast-approaching, we thought we would provide some tips to get your home ready to sell in late spring or summer!

1. Refresh your curb appeal. Clean up the front yard, add a wreath to the front door, add a fresh coat of paint to the home’s exterior, replace the house numbers, add potted plants to the porch, etc. Creating a welcoming front yard is the key to a great first impression!
2. Declutter all living areas. Remove all Knick knacks and unnecessary items from your home’s décor. A cluttered space is unappealing to potential buyers.
3. Depersonalize each room. Take all personal items in your home – especially pictures of your family – and pack them. Removing all personal touches allows the buyer to picture themselves and their belongings in the home.
4. Repaint walls in neutral tones. Buy a neutral hue and repaint the main living areas within the home. Neutral colors make a home appear larger, open and clean. Great color options include greige, beige, tan, gray, ivory, etc.
5. Touch-up the walls. Paint over any scuffs or missing paint chips on the walls, baseboards and doors throughout your home – except the rooms you just repainted. To ensure the color matches, chip off a little paint and take it to your local Home Depot or Lowe’s. Their paint professionals should be able to match the color.
6. Repair or replace any loose or damaged handles. While this may be a small thing in your eyes, a loose or damaged handle may make a potential buyer question what else needs to be repaired in the home.
7. Remove bad odors. The slightest bad odor has the possibility to turn-off a potential buyer. Invite over a friend or your real estate agent and ask if they detect any bad odors. If they do, deep clean the entire home and add candles, potpourri, etc.
8. Deep clean each room of the home. Your home should be the cleanest it has ever been and remain that way the entire time it is on the market. To do this, shampoo the carpets, wax the hardwood floors, make the counters shine, etc.
9. Pack away any valuables. During home showings, a buyer will go through every room and closet within your home. To ensure nothing goes missing, pack away anything you don’t want to lose before any home showings or open houses.

Consider renting a storage unit while your home is on the market. A storage unit is a great place to store personal items, valuables and other clutter. Plus, it removes these items from any closets and storage rooms within your home – areas potential buyers will check when at a showing.

Are you ready to list your home? Contact our team! We are always available to lend a helping hand!

As the weather heats up in the Central Texas area, keep in mind there are ways to reduce the cost of that hefty summer energy bill headed your way. These energy-efficient tips should help save you money this summer:

1. Washing your clothes in cold water could save you up to $63 a year.
2. Install a Nest Thermostat to save nearly 10 percent on heating and cooling costs.
3. Turn off all lights, appliances and electronics you are not using. A power strip is an easy way to help you turn off multiple items at once. Not only will this save money on electricity, but it will likely also decrease the amount of heat released in your home.
4. Replace your current light bulbs with an energy-efficient option. These not only last longer, but they also reduce your energy by about 30 to 80 percent. Energy-efficient options include halogen incandescent, CFLs and LEDs.
5. The ENERGY STAR label, placed on a wide range of consumer products by the government, can save you up to 30 percent on your electricity bills. Look for this sticker when shopping for light bulbs, appliances, etc.
6. Save money on your water bill by installing low-flow faucets and showerheads.
7. Change your air filter to ensure easy flow and less strain on your air conditioner. The dirtier the filter, the harder the A/C has to work.
8. Set your water heater to 130 degrees Fahrenheit and wrap the storage tank in a specially-designed blanket to retain the heat.
9. Buy window shades and blinds. Close them during the summer months to keep the hot sun rays out – keeping the home cooler – and open them up in the winter to bring in the warm rays.
10. Sealing air leaks and ensuring proper insulation can save you up to 20 percent on your heating and cooling bills.

How do you know where you can save money? Contact a local professional in your area to come out and perform an energy audit. This evaluation will show you the inefficiencies and wasted energy in your home. These professionals typically charge by square footage or by the hour. With this information in hand, you are now well on your way to decreasing your energy bill and footprint this summer.

Have questions about these energy-efficient tips? Looking for a professional to come out and evaluate your home? Give us a call. We would be more than happy to connect you with an experienced and reliable professional in the Central Texas area.