How To Prepare Your Home For A Spring Listing
Friends and Clients —
It's finally here — springtime, the peak season for the real estate market.
This year, we’re seeing more homes up for sale and buyer expectations increasing.
That means you’ll want to present your home in the best possible way in order to sell quickly and for top dollar. Here's a seven-step checklist to help you do exactly that:
1. Assess your home's condition
Look at your home through a buyer's eyes. Spot issues such as worn carpet, chipped paint, and cracked tiles, so you can deal with them before they drive away potential buyers. And if you find that you cannot be objective, ask a friend or family member to lend you their critical perspective.
2. Get rid of oversized furniture
Clearing your home of extra couches, armchairs, and cupboards will make it look larger and will allow visitors to imagine themselves in it more easily. You can put the furniture into storage, sell it, or even give it away.
3. Clear out the clutter and personal items
Make your home look sleek and minimalist, allowing buyers to imagine themselves—not you—living there. This means removing magazines from the coffee table, shoes from the hallway, and most photos, trophies, and collectibles from the walls.
4. Deep clean
Of course, you'll want to thoroughly clean your home from the bathrooms, to the kitchen, the tiles, windows, curtains, upholstery, etc. Once you're done inside, power wash outdoor surfaces as well.
5. Work on curb appeal
Most potential buyers will drive by before they ever consider coming for a viewing. That's why you should clean the gutters, rake the lawn, remove weeds or dead plants—and even consider planting new flowers to brighten up your front yard.
6. Repaint in neutral colors
A new coat of paint can make your home look years younger. And if you are repainting, choose a neutral color, such as soft whites or grays.
7. Get professional photographs taken
Unless potential buyers are impressed with your online listing, they won't ever visit and see all the other work you've done to beautify your home. But great photographs are not an accident—and they are not trivial to make. That's why it pays to have a pro handle this.
And there you go—seven steps for making your home stand out in the spring crowd.
In case you’re ready to kick off this process, you can get started by seeing how much your home could fetch right now, using the calculator that's based on recent Austin sales:
Enter your home address here to find out what your home is currently worth
And if you need help carrying out any of these seven steps, give me a call at 512-829-8000. I can help you honestly evaluate your home so you know what to focus on. Plus, I know several great Austin businesses that can help with things such as deep cleaning, repairs, or professional photographs.
Have a great day,
Christopher Watters
Looking to buy a home? Looking to sell a home?
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