Tips To Get Your Space Coast House Ready For The Spring Real Estate Market
Springtime brings sunshine, showers, and buyers. Spring also brings warmer weather, and people tend to shop for homes as the weather gets warmer, meaning Spring also offers plenty of opportunities for home staging.
Make the most of the spring season to attract more buyers, and prepare your home for the prime selling season. Buyers are looking for the best home in excellent condition, with all its best features centrally showcased.
Here are a few tips from CENTURY21 Ocean to help prepare your home and get the most out of this year’s buying season!
Preparing Your Home For the Spring Market
CENTURY 21 Ocean understands the value of taking the spring season to ensure your home as prepared as possible for the market.
Here is a brief checklist of the interior, exterior, and general tasks that should be reviewed during the warming seasons. A sparkling clean home, with everything buttoned up as nicely as possible, will impress buyers, lower your time on the market, and get the highest selling price possible.
Exterior Tasks To Complete When Preparing A Home For The Spring Real Estate Market
The curb appeal of a home can is a major deciding factor for buyers when it comes to considering and buying a home.
If a buyer drives by or views a property online that seems neglected from the exterior, they may choose not to even look at the home. Below are some of the key exterior tasks to review when preparing your home for the spring real estate market.
● Trim shrubs and bushes
● Plant bright flowers and plants
● Plant grass seed or grass patches if the lawn is thinning
● Clean windows
● Paint faded or peeling paint, if applicable
● Wash siding, if applicable
● Reseal driveway, if needed
● Freshly mulch flowerbeds and gardens
● Clean and inspect gutters and downspouts
● Pressure wash driveway & walkways
● Remove spider webs
● Clean screen & screen skeleton, if applicable
● Inspect roof
Interior Tasks To Complete When Preparing A Home For The Spring Real Estate Market
Below are some important interior checklist tasks to review when preparing a home for sale. Many of the tasks below are low-cost home preparation tips and, in many cases, cost nothing except for a little time and effort.
● Declutter home of furniture and items
● Clean windows
● Wash and polish flooring
● Vacuum and steam clean any carpeting
● Organize all closets and storage areas
● Fix all light fixtures & replace if needed
● Clean all fans – replace if out of date
● Repaint/Neutralize rooms, if necessary
● Deep clean appliances
● Make sure the home feels fresh and inviting
● Service and clean your HVAC systems (furnace & central air conditioning)
● Inspect the plumbing
Bring fresh spring aromas indoors. Spring is not only a warm, colorful season but a fragrant one, as well. Bring the aroma of spring indoors. Scents can have a profound effect on mood, so infusing spring scents into your home with diffusers, candles, or fresh cut flowers can improve the overall appeal of a home.
Also, don't forget about proper lighting, keep blinds open during showings, use higher watt bulbs, and update any old or outdated fixtures.
Interview Prospective Realtors® & Create A Game Plan
In addition to preparing your house physically, you'll want to think about your overall selling strategy.
One of the most important components of a successful home sale is the process of interviewing and hiring the right real estate agent to help you with the process of selling your home. Choosing a qualified real estate agent begins with knowing how to interview prospective Realtors® and knowing which essential questions to ask during the interview process.
Having a top real estate agent on your side can truly make the difference when selling a home in a competitive spring market. A top Realtors® will work with you to create an effective game plan that will lead to a successful home selling experience.
Below are three areas where a real estate agent will help to create a sound selling strategy that will ultimately lead to a successful spring sale.
When Should You List Your Home?
Timing the spring real estate market is essential. Listing your home for sale too early or too late can cost you a fast sale. An experienced real estate agent can discuss the local market conditions in order to determine the best time to enter the market and list your home for sale.
Your real estate agent will analyze statistics from previous sales to determine the optimum time to list a home for sale in a particular area.
Sellers who are going to be listing their home in the spring real estate market should become familiar with common real estate terms such as; market absorption rate, and average days on the market, and inventory from their real estate agent.
Winning the Pricing Game
After hiring the best listing agent for your sale, the next most important decision is working with your realtor to come up with an effective initial listing price; this is especially important when preparing to sell your home during the competitive spring real estate market.
There are many dangers with overpricing a home.
The first few weeks that a home is newly listed are the most critical, and if your listing price is not accurate, you could lose buyers or leave money on the table by selling to low. It's essential sellers understand the importance of the first 30 days a home is on the market.
If a seller has hired an agent that they feel confident in, then they should value their Realtors® expert opinion when deciding an initial listing price.
Begin Planning For Your Move
Here are a few more tips on how to prepare for a red-hot spring real estate market.
One of the best tips to make moving more manageable and less stressful is to begin packing while decluttering your home. As you come across items that you want to remove while your home is on the market, begin placing these items in boxes or storage.
For example, if you are clearing out a closet and replacing winter clothing with summer clothing, place the winter clothing in a box that is labeled winter clothing. This can make the task of unpacking at your new home much more manageable if everything is organized and clearly labeled.
Are You & Your Family Prepared for the Rush of the Spring Real Estate Market?
As we have mentioned before, the spring real estate market is often hectic and fast-paced.
It's important that a seller and their family are prepared to accommodate showings with reasonable notice and try to accommodate anytime they can.
Sellers who turn away showings because it is an inconvenience for them may potentially be costing themselves the sale of their home.
Final Thoughts
The spring real estate market is an exciting time to sell and prepare a home, and if you take the necessary steps, it can be very lucrative!
With the help of a top real estate professional assisting you, and by following a few simple tips on how to prepare your home for the spring real estate market, it can be a very easy process. The timing of a spring market will vary from location to location, but spring will be here before you know it, and it is always best to get an early start.
To learn more please contact our team at CENTURY21 Ocean today!