Spring has arrived and temperatures are on the rise, in more ways than one. While the weather is getting hotter, so too is the housing market. It should come as no surprise, as spring has long been a good time to sell your home. For those looking to relocate, people want to move towards the end of the school year, but also before summer vacations begin. So if you want to get in early, now is the time to list your home.

Before a sign gets pounded into your yard, there are a few things you should do though. Your real estate agent should make plenty of suggestions on how best to show your home for a quick sale, but you might want to consider doing a few things before you even pick up the phone to call them.

How to Prepare Your Home For Sale

CLEAN:

The first step in preparing your home in order to list it on the market is to clean it. That means not only a little elbow grease to remove the winter’s cobwebs, but also a whole lot of decluttering. Take the time to do it right and you will be moving on to the next stage in your life much sooner and with much less aggravation in the process. Do a half-hearted job and your home might languish on the market for weeks longer than you desire.

DEPERSONALIZE:

One of the things most real estate agents will suggest is to depersonalize a home. Make your home appealing to anyone who could walk into it. Purge and pack excess knick knacks. Take down your family photo wall. A single photo on a side table makes a place look homey, but you don’t want potential buyers to feel like they are stepping into someone else’s home. You want a buyer to look at your house and see themselves making it their own home.

Remember, you are trying to sell your house. So if you are successful, it will be someone else’s home.

NEUTRALIZE:

Part of depersonalizing a home is to neutralize it. That means touching up chipped paint jobs or, better yet, giving your home a fresh new coat of paint throughout. Pick neutral colours like whites, beiges, or greens, or if you can’t stomach living in a bland world even for the short term, choose a trendy colour to give your home a modern look. The key is to make your home appealing to the widest range of potential buyers as possible.

HOME RENOVATIONS:

While you are at it, take the time to tackle any repairs needed around your home. Recaulk tubs. Replace leaky faucets or toilets. Inspect the foundation of your home for cracks and repair as necessary. Check the state of your roof and replace any shingles which may have gone missing over the course of the winter.

While you might be tempted to leave these jobs to the next homeowner, glaring issues with your home might be enough for them to reconsider putting an initial offer in. Or worse, you might lose the deal altogether if a home inspector finds sufficient problems to scare away a potential buyer. It is always better to either tackle the job yourself, or be forthright in letting people know about any issues and present your asking price accordingly.

*Remember that Load of Rubbish Junk Removal can help you prepare your home for sale. Call us to take away any excess garbage, unwanted or unloved debris to better show your home. With our help, you can lighten your load before moving on to the next stage of your life.