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!
- 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!
- Declutter all living areas. Remove all Knick knacks and unnecessary items from your home’s décor. A cluttered space is unappealing to potential buyers.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!