Spring is in the air and homebuyers are coming out of hibernation. With the weather warming up, it’s the time of year that’s typically considered a hot period for the housing market. This spring may be quite energetic as home buyers rush to beat rising home prices and interest rates. Here are five tips to help you sell your home fast and for top dollar this spring:
Curb Appeal: Buyers know within the first minute of seeing a home whether they want to consider buying it. Having said that, it is imperative that trees and bushes are trimmed so buyers can see the house. Check to see if you need to pressure wash the driveway, front walk, house and patio. Consider a fresh coat of paint to your front door. Add colorful flowers and fresh mulch to your planters and don’t forget to clean the windows so they sparkle inside and out.
Clean, Declutter and Depersonalize: The fewer things there are in the home, the larger it will look. Use a careful eye and remove knickknacks and excess furniture. Also take down family photos so prospective buyers can envision their family in the house, not yours. Finally, you may want to hire a cleaning service to do a deep cleaning.
Do Pre-Inspection Repairs: If you know a home inspector is going to find something wrong with your house, go ahead and fix it first. You may want to hire your own inspector before your home goes on the market so you can make appropriate repairs before you try to sell it. A little foresight and elbow grease can save you thousands in the long run. When buyers pay for their home inspection of your home, you can bet they will use the list of repairs for deeper negotiation.
Make The Property Easy To Show: The more flexible you are about showings, the more people will be able to see your home. Be ready for prospective visitors early in the morning, at night and on the weekends, with little notice. Don’t linger during showings. You need to leave the house when it is being shown so would be buyers can feel free to move about without feeling like intruders and discuss the home’s pros and cons honestly.
Price It Right: Prices are rising. Even so, sellers need to be reasonable and compare their homes to similar properties that have recently sold. Sellers often think they should start the asking price high and then lower it later if the house fails to sell. But that can result in a slower sale – often at an even lower price. The first 30 days of activity of your house being on the market is always the best activity you are going to see. If the price is too high, many buyers and their agents will stay away, assuming you are not serious about selling or you are not willing to negotiate.
With the correct approach and a little work, you can sell your home fast and for top dollar.