Spring is the busiest time of the year for the real estate market. As a result, it is one of the best times of the year to list a property for sale. Many people think there are only a few things they need to do to prepare their house for sale – but did you know there are plenty of things you can do now? Here is a quick three-month timeline that will help you if you are preparing to sell your home in the spring.
What You Can Do Today
Find the Right Real Estate Agent
Real estate agents are in bountiful supply – but not all real estate agents are made equally. Finding the right real estate agent that works with your needs, your neighbourhood and your personality can take time. The sooner you start interviewing, the better.
Make a Plan
Once you have found your real estate partner you two can sit down together and create a plan of all the things you need to do in preparing to sell your home in the spring. Break this plan into bite-sized chunks so they feel easily obtainable given your schedule.
Start Packing
It seems difficult to believe that you need to start packing as early as three months in advance, but you will thank yourself later! If you look around your house and see that there are things you can live without until you are in your new home, start packing it. This will make your house easier to clean and will prevent cramming your packing all in one weekend.
What You Can Do Two Months Before Listing
Presale Home Inspection
Preparing to sell your home in the spring means you need to bring your “A” game to stand out amongst the countless other listings that will be also available. Getting a presale home inspection is one of the best ways to do that. A buyer will most likely perform their own inspection, but the presale home inspection will help highlight what you can fix before the property lists, and how much wiggle room you will need for negotiations upon an offer.
What You Can Do One Month Before Listing
Cosmetic Touch-Ups
Now that you have done the bulk of repairs, you can turn your focus to ensuring a buyer’s first impression is a great one. This means painting the walls with a fresh coat of paint, even if it is a colour you hate. This house is no longer yours, so you need to start viewing it that way. It is also important to work on the front and back yards if you have them as most of the snow will have melted and you will want to work on planting flowers and other bright signs of spring.
What You Can Do Two Weeks Before Listing
Deep Clean
You want to save this step until right before your first viewings. If you deep clean a month in advance, your hard work will be very quickly and easily undone. Hire a professional to deep clean your house for you, or delegate tasks to your family so that everyone has a job they can work on. Always make sure your furry family members are visiting a friend or family member until the house is sold to avoid muddy paw prints in the house.
Preparing to sell your home in the spring is not difficult, especially with this three-month guideline. If you are looking for additional tips on how to prepare to sell your home in the spring, or would like to see if we could be a good fit – please reach out to me here. I would love to be your real estate partner this spring!
