Spring is a popular and smart time to list! The weather is better, travel is easier and less messy. In addition, homebuyers with children likely want to close in the Summer (after one school year ends and before the next one begins).
Ready, my lovelies? Low to no cost ways (read “cheap and free”) ways to spruce up the place!
Spring clean like your nosy Aunt Paula is coming to tea. Pull back the curtains, open the windows, and shake the dust from everything. Wash windows, deep clean carpets and rugs, and scrub down the baseboards. Yeah, we know, it’s not the most fun, but the cleaner and more well-kept a house is, the more comfortable a buyer will feel about it. Clean out fireplaces and add white birch logs or light-colored candles for a Springier effect.
Curb appeal, my lovelies! Remember the outside! This is the first thing a potential home buyer will see so try and make it as welcoming and pristine as possible. Clear away leaves and clutter in the yard. Plant some flowers if you have a garden and sweep the walk and the driveway to make your curb appeal pop. You may want to consider power washing any dirty or unsightly areas too. For the cost of renting a power washer, you can give new life to dingy spaces. Hang a flowering plant by the front door or add a pot with flowers and trailing vines beside the entryway. Voila! So pretty you won’t want to leave. But when you decide, to call your favorite agent…
Be like Elsa and let it gooooooo. Declutter! If possible, closets should only be 2/3 full to appear roomier. If you haven’t worn it in a year, you likely won’t wear it again. Donate things with gentle wear or sell them online or at a yard sale (psst – tell customers that your home will be listed soon and give them my card!).
Consider furniture when decluttering. Are your tabletops and other surfaces clear of clutter? Add a pretty basket to drop your mail into. In the kitchen, put away small appliances that you don’t use daily. Assess your bathroom. Does it look like a clean hotel bathroom (it should), or like CVS had a frat party on your sink?
Let’s talk Tchotchkes (now how weird does THAT word look in print, huh?) and knick-knacks. Consider what you really love and ditch the rest – or put it in storage until you move. You’ll be halfway packed by the time you sell your house!
Lighten up, Francis! (Anyone? I love a good movie quote) Throw a light blanket over the back of a dark couch, and roll up a dark rug to reveal freshly scrubbed wood floors (I mean, then you have to scrub them, but I believe in you). The light and airy feel will welcome Spring and home buyers with a breath of fresh air. Added bonus? YOU get to enjoy your newly decluttered and spruced-up, Spring filled home! You deserve it.
As always, when you have a showing, remember to open all blinds and curtains and turn on all the lights. Try not to be home so that potential buyers can imagine themselves living in this light and airy dream home. Consider baking some cookies (turn off the oven! My husband is a fire captain so I’m pretty sure I’m legally obligated to say this?) before you leave to make the house smell homey and inviting.
As usual, call your favorite agent if you’re thinking of selling. Or just to say hi. Remember, I love you if you sell with me or not.