Make the most out of the spring selling season by making sure your home is in tiptop condition.

 

Do Your Spring Cleaning

Getting started on spring cleaning as early as now is a good way to refresh your home’s feel, and it’s also a chance for you to get a general idea on the house’s flaws even before you start  putting it up for sale. Clean glass doors windows both inside and out and give your fixtures a little polish, then air out rooms and give everything a good dusting. While you’re cleaning up, check your cabinets and shelves to make sure all hinges and doors are working properly. Clean your kitchen and bathroom and check your tiles if you need to replace or repair the grout.

 

Start Decluttering

2019 made Marie Kondo the darling of the year with her KonMari method, which helps you declutter your home by just keeping the things that “spark joy”. If you’ve been living under a rock and are not familiar with her, she has a Netflix series you can catch. In the meantime, your spring cleaning would have given you a good overview of your items, and you can get started on systematically packing away personal items, old letters or clothes, and even toys and trinkets you haven’t used in a while.

If you have a lot of unused stuff, consider donating them, but if you’re planning on bringing these items to your new home, consider long-term storage options to help clear out the house for showing.

 

Do Preliminary Repairs

While you’re working on decluttering and cleaning, it will be a good time to start taking note of flaws and problems which need to be taken care of before you sell. The more well-maintained your house is, the more justified you will be in asking for a higher selling price, so having pre-inspection repairs is a good way to up your market value. Get an inspector to check your plumbing, HVAC, electrical systems, and the structure and foundation of your home. Now would also be a good time to check your safety appliances like security alarms and smoke detectors and make sure they’re functioning properly.

 

Work on Curb Appeal

Curb appeal is how well your home looks like from the outside, and how attractive it will appear to potential buyers. Anticipate the upcoming clement weather to plant colorful flowers. Dust and clean patio furniture, and make your front yard as welcoming as possible.

 

Prep for Staging

Home staging is preparing your home for sale in the real estate market by turning it into a neutral or blank canvas in which potential buyers can visualize themselves living at. Personal items like family portraits, your rock collection and even personal effects like toiletries and razors, would need to be kept out of sight. You might also want to consider repainting your rooms to a neutral shade like cream or white.

 

Hire a Real Estate Agent

Even before you put your home up on the market, having a real estate agent who is an expert in the market can help you go a long way towards achieving your selling goal. Don’t let all the effort you put in preparation go to waste, and choose someone whose performance speaks for itself.