Winter’s almost over, and for anyone looking to sell their home, that means one thing: Spring Selling Season is almost here!
As you may be aware, spring is the time of year when the housing market shoots back up. The weather warms up, the flowers blossom, and the buyers come back out in force.
If you’re thinking about selling your home this spring, here are 5 ways to prepare for the rush!
Do a spring clean
It might sound like a cliché, but a spring clean is just what the doctor ordered if you’re thinking about selling.
Most of us tend to neglect our homes over winter, so it’s a good idea to get everything ready for the photoshoots and open homes we’re going to be performing.
Doing a big clean also gives us a chance to step back and see if we need all the junk we’ve accumulated over the years. Every time I empty out the garage or family room, I come across piles of stuff I can’t believe I’ve still got. De-cluttering is actually pretty good fun!
Essential maintenance items
With the wetter (this year) and cooler months potentially behind you, now is as good a time as any to look at the maintenance and repair items that need attention and may have been put off during winter.
Make a list of the must-do items needed for sale and those that are wish list items and ensure that you are working through the essential items prior to listing the property for sale. It is a good time to complete these as inaction may result in negotiations on the final sale price.
Find an agent. Early.
The whole idea of selling in spring comes down to buyer activity. A home is a product on the market, so it makes sense to put it out there when the buyers are most active.
It just so happens that spring is one of the busiest times of year for buyers (in some places, autumn is actually busier, but I’ll explain why in a minute), so getting in early is the key to having time to make sure everything’s ready and looking good for the punters.
We recommend having an agent lined up early, because once September hits, you’re already eating away at valuable selling time. The early bird gets the worm!
Stage your home
Once you’ve got your home nice and clean and settled on an agent, you’ll need to stage the home (with or without the agent’s help), photograph it, and then show it.
Staging is something we’ve talked about a few times, and it basically means taking a little time to make your home look like a show home.
This could include removing daggy furniture, repainting walls, hiring artwork, or repurposing entire rooms – all with the end goal of making your home look like a million dollars (or more!).
The more neutral and welcoming your home looks, the more likely the buyers are going to be able to imagine themselves in it. Think about the last time you went to Ikea… there’s a reason they create mocked-up rooms instead of just showing the products on their own.
Don’t forget to look at the landscaping of the lawns, gardens and any pool areas that can sometimes be forgotten during the cooler months.
How to Prepare Your Home Garden for Spring
Start looking for a new place
I mentioned that autumn is sometimes busier than spring for buyers: here’s why.
People who want to list their homes in spring might only get everything done by early summer, by which point no one wants to move (because of the upcoming Christmas and New Year holiday).
As a result, buyers wait until late summer in order to buy, and these sales go through in early autumn.
If you manage to list your home early in spring, you then have about six months or more to look for your new place. You could even get lucky and manage to find somewhere before Christmas! Imagine that!
So, as soon as you’ve listed your home – or even beforehand – start looking for the new place. You won’t regret it.
Want to get started on the selling process? Live in the inner north of Brisbane, including Everton Park, Stafford, McDowall and Kedron?
Get in touch with the team at Hicks Real Estate today on 07 3355 6845!
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Hicks Real Estate Team
Hicks Real Estate is a Brisbane based, full-service real estate agency supporting buyers and sell as well as renters and property investors. With almost 20 years experience in the local market, we are the real estate experts you can rely upon.
