Getting Your Home Prepped for a Spring Sale

Here in Omaha, we’ve been fairly lucky with a mild winter weather season. Spring seems to be just around the corner and that’s especially true with the real estate market! We all know that the warmer air, sunshine, and promise of new growth also brings out home buyers.
With less than average single-family homes on the market, we’re experiencing a surge in new buyers but with little inventory to choose from. In a seller’s market, there’s a lot of advantages to selling your home, but did you know that there are several things to keep in mind before getting ready to list? In order to ensure the biggest bang for your listing, here are the top recommendations to prepare your home for the busy real estate season.

Or if you’re not quite ready to sell, take these recommendations as a way to have your home feeling brand new again!

(Early) Spring Cleaning

If you’re like most people, the holidays came and went and January was a blur, and here we are in February and you still have remnants of Christmas decor. Now’s a great time to do a deep clean after winter and before you’re ready to list.

• To rid of built up grime and salt, deep clean your carpets or condition your wood floors
• Professionally clean rugs or replace entry welcome mats and rugs
• Clean your windows, both inside and out
• Consider a fresh coat of paint
• Replace the furnace air filter
• Scrub the grout and rid of built of lime on bath fixtures and doors
• Dust those forgotten places like tops of door moldings, blinds, and ceiling fans

Spruce Up the Landscape

If you get the chance for a warmer than average late-winter day (hello 48 and sunshine!) it’s probably time to tackle some of the landscaping.

• Pull up weeds and rake any rotting leaves
• Removing stray branches that have fallen
• Refill mulch, soil and/or stones
• Prune bushes
• Replace dead plants or flowers
• Plan areas for bulb

DeClutter & Stage

One of the best ways to get your home ready to sell is by starting with a blank slate. Aside from the Christmas decor still up, now is the chance put away or donate things that may dissuade buyers from imagining themselves in the space. For more on decluttering, I highly recommend Marie Kondo on Netflix and her book series or in this staging blog post.

• Pack away personal photos
• Store small appliances and clear the kitchen counters
• Pack any fixtures that you do not plan on listing with the home (ie chandeliers, microwave)
• Organize books, magazines, and papers and style any bookcases with neutral decor
• Store or donate toys (both animal and human)
• Take the leaf out of the dining room table for more walkways
• Store extra furniture and chairs
• Organize your storage areas including pantries, kitchen drawers, closets, under the stairs. Buyers will look everywhere!

Add Curb Appeal
Although winter can be brutal, you can still add some life to your front porch to add a welcoming entry for prospective buyers. You can see more about my curb appeal recommendations at this earlier blog post.

• Add hearty planters with seasonal decorative branches
• Add battery operated lanterns
• Replace Welcome Mat
• Change out entry light fixtures (interior and exterior)
• Update the house numbers and mailbox
• Paint the door a cheery color

Make Repairs
Although most buyers will opt for a home inspection which will return some things to fix, pre-listing is a great time to tackle those easily overlooked annoyances. Does a light flicker, is a handrail wobbly, is there a window that is stuck shut? Buyers will notice and although a relatively easy fix, it can still add an overall distaste. Stay ahead of it with some routine maintenance.

• Tighten dripping faucets
• Replace light bulbs
• Secure handrails
• Update light and outlet covers to match
• Re-caulk tubs and showers

Are you ready to get your home listed this Spring? Give me a call!

Megan Owens, Realtor
“Delivering extraordinary care for extraordinary clients.”
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate
Phone | 402-689-4984 Email | [email protected]
©Copyright. February 2020. Megan Owens.
All Rights Reserved