Spring is in the air and homebuyers are getting ready to fall in love with their next dream home. With the weather warming up and school years coming to a close, the Spring real estate market is just around the corner. Here’s what you need to know.
Why Spring
Spring is a favorite season for all its abundance of flowers, the end of winter and the kick-off to many outdoor sports, but did you know that spring is also the undisputed best season for selling your home? This is due in part to the following factors:
School: Moving is often hardest on children. Families closing on a home in spring or early summer give their children more time to settle in, make new friends and explore their new neighborhood prior to school starting in autumn.
Warm Weather: With more hours of sunlight in a day, you will have more opportunities for potential buyers to tour your home. Whether it’s the psychological impact of the warm weather or the physical comfort, there are more people touring homes in spring than any other season. It also doesn’t hurt that many flowers are in full-bloom, boosting your curb appeal.
Bidding Wars: Spring brings out more sellers to compete with, but more importantly it brings more buyers. The earlier in the season your home is ready the better; you will be ahead of the summer crush of homes entering the market and are more likely to get more offers than any other time of year. If you have prepared your home well, you can expect multiple potential buyers bidding.
Getting Ready To Sell
If you’re planning on putting your home on the market and capitalize on spring buyers, you want your property to be in the best possible shape. That means you’ll want to tackle the following tasks:
Clean: Scrub like you’ve never scrubbed before! We like to recommend hiring a cleaning service as new eyes will find blemishes you don’t notice anymore.
Paint: Nothing brightens up a room like a fresh coat of paint. Don’t forget the moldings and trim. Buyers notice every detail!
Declutter: You’re going to have to pack up anyway, so why not do some of it sooner rather than later? As you go through each room, start storing non-essential items that you plan to take with you to your new address. If you find items you no longer want or need, donate them or try to sell them online for a quick influx of cash you can spend on your new place.
Tackle repairs: Take care of anything that would pop up on a home inspector’s report. Chances are you’ll need to fix it before you move, so you may as well do it now and enjoy these improvements while you’re still living there.
Work on your curb appeal: Your home’s exterior is what’s going to make that all-important first impression on buyers. If your lawn is full of weeds, your shrubs are browning, and your fence is falling apart, you can count on a potential buyer being much less interested.
Find the right real estate agent: Often sellers want to hire the agent who says they’ll list the property for the highest price. Or, they’re tempted to select one who’s willing to take the lowest commission. What you really want is an agent with a track record of success who is familiar with the area and comparable listings, and has a marketing plan that will help you realize the maximum value. A sky-high listing price sounds great, but not if it takes you three years to sell, right?
Whether you’re planning on selling, buying, or both, you may be competing with plenty of other buyers and sellers once spring is in full swing and especially as we shift into summer. Prepping your home now and listing earlier in spring can help you get the edge you need.