Seller Info February 19, 2024

It’s Time To Prepare Your House for a Spring Listing

If you’re thinking of selling your house this spring, now is the perfect time to start getting it ready. With the market gearing up for its busiest time of year, it’ll be important to make sure your house shines bright among the competition.

Here are some valuable tips you can use to get your house market-ready.

Declutter and Organize

First impressions matter, and if your house is a mess, that can easily turn off potential buyers. Before listing, take the time to declutter and organize each room. Decluttering is about more than just tidying up – it’s about creating a sense of space and openness that allows potential buyers to envision themselves living in your home. According to Moving.com:

Decluttering and organizing your space will go a long way in appealing to potential buyers. . . .decluttering will help the buyers see themselves living in your home. Less clutter inside a home also helps a place appear larger and cleaner, which should attract more buyers.”

Deep Clean Your Kitchen and Bathrooms

The kitchen and bathrooms are focal points for many buyers, and often influence their overall opinion of the house. Ensure these spaces dazzle by giving them a thorough deep cleaning. Pay attention to details like scrubbing grout lines, polishing fixtures, and decluttering countertops. A sparkling kitchen and bathroom can leave a lasting positive impression on potential buyers.

Maintain Your Yard

Your home’s exterior is the first thing potential buyers see, so it’s important to make a good impression from the moment they arrive. A well-maintained yard not only enhances curb appeal, but also shows buyers the home has been well taken care of.

Take the time to spruce up your yard by mowing the lawn, trimming bushes, and clearing away any debris or dead plants. Remember, the goal is to create a welcoming environment that entices buyers to step inside and imagine themselves living there. U.S. News says:

“A beautifully landscaped front yard can elevate an ordinary house into a charming home and will help homes sell faster and for more money.”

Find a Listing Agent

A skilled listing agent is your partner in minimizing stress when selling your home. Lean on your agent for advice on decluttering, staging, and enhancing your home’s appeal to potential buyers. Their insights into market trends and recommendations for reliable contractors and stagers are invaluable.

By decluttering, deep cleaning, and tidying up your house, you can create a welcoming environment that resonates with buyers and increases your chances of a successful sale.

Thinking about selling?  Let’s connect on what you need to do to get your house ready to sell this spring.

Seller Info October 19, 2020

15 easy-as-pie seller projects that’ll help buyers fall in love

The place to start is, of course, at the curb. Here’s a checklist of curb appeal items to take into consideration prior to listing your home for sale.  Many involve inexpensive and straightforward fixes you or your landscaping person can undertake, now that temperate fall weather is here.

Ariel Skelley / Getty Images

Add finishing touches

Finally, while the weather holds, its a great time to take advantage of the opportunity to:

  • Reseed bare spots in the lawn
  • Revive planters with seasonal color
  • Replant and mulch the flower beds

Jon Lovette / Getty Images

4 ways to communicate ‘this is a well-maintained home’

Clear the gutters

Better yet, have gutter guards installed before leaves start to drop. And clear tree branches off the roof when the leaves are gone.

Touch up peeling paint

Nothing makes a house look shabbier than patches of bare wood surrounded by deteriorating paint. And it’s so easy to fix.

Rejuvenate the fences

Good fences make good neighbors — and an excellent first impression. Leaning, decaying fences? Not so much. If you can’t afford to replace a fence that’s seen better days, you (or your handyperson) can at least prop it up and power-wash/stain it.

Refresh the mailbox

Sellers tend to overlook practical items like the mailbox, which is the first thing buyers likely see. Generally, installing a new box (with house numbers!) is the easiest, fastest way to refresh this area without calling undue attention.

However, if it’s a prominent fixture, it’s best to install something in keeping with the home’s architecture and landscape the area, so it fits with the overall planting scheme.

2 ways to make it easy to find the property address

Its important to draw attention to your address, so buyers & agents are confident they’re in the right spot. Freshen paint on numerals stenciled on the curb. Larger numbers, where architecturally appropriate, do their job artfully — especially if you spotlight them.

Create an entry that wows in 3 easy steps

Amp up the hardscape

A vast expanse of driveway greets buyers driving up to most homes. Often, a path takes off from the driveway toward the front entry. But the residents rarely use it. 

You can immediately improve their curb appeal by power-washing all that concrete power and dressing up the path. Staining the concrete, lining the walkway with low hedges or other plantings, or installing stone or brick borders are all ways to quickly elevate the importance of the path the home’s buyers will be treading, whether you use it or not.

Spruce up the entry

Evaluate everything from the porch light, doormat, seating and plants to the front door and its hardware. At minimum, everything needs to be cleaned or replaced. Make sure that the lock works and that the doorknob looks like a medic just signed off on its cleanliness. 

Every window needs to sparkle, especially those at the entry. Replace every lightbulb near the entrance because the lower light of fall and winter often requires turning on the lights to welcome visitors on gloomy days. And they will burn out at the worst possible moment if they aren’t brand new.

Install decorative lighting

Restraint is essential where decorative lighting is concerned. But, done well, a pair of lighted evergreens flanking the front door, a candlelit lantern on a porch step, or a lighted seasonal wreath can extend a warm welcome right out to the street. 

I work with you to help maximize the home’s lighting as the days get shorter.

I am a fan of checklists as you’re less apt to forget a critical piece of the curb appeal puzzle if you’re using one. 

Let me know how I can assit you in preparing your home or the fall and winter selleing season!

Uncategorized November 9, 2013

Buying or Selling: Now May Be The Time

 

Autumn Piggy Bank2As we enter the winter months, many expect the real estate market to begin to slow down. However, this winter there are many reasons that both buyers and sellers should consider moving forward with their real estate goals instead of waiting until the spring.

BUYERS

Waiting until the spring will probably mean increases in the two elements that determine the cost of purchasing a home: home prices and mortgage rates.

SELLERS

A seller will get the best price when demand is high and inventory is low. Demand will remain strong throughout this winter (see above) while inventory historically shrinks this time of year.