Prepping Your Home for the Spring Market

Are you planning on selling your home this spring and need to know how to prepare? Check out this guide on how to prep your home for the Spring market.

Most homeowners look forward to springtime for a fun time in the sun, afternoon grilling, or sprucing up the garden. But it is also the best time of the year to sell your home. Sales activity between February and March increases by over 34%, and prices typically rise by 3%. 

It would be best if you mainly considered selling during April, May, or June. However, as a widely known fact, you will need to make your home stand out, and this all starts with learning how to prep your home for the spring market. 

From deep cleaning to repairs to a new paint job, you'll quickly find that there are always ways to improve around the home. Your main goal when putting your home on the market is to make it attractive to buyers. Many sellers host open houses to allow buyers to experience the home on their own. 

The home buying and selling process can be challenging to navigate; luckily, prepping your home is one of the easiest parts of the process. None of these tasks have to be expensive or even time-consuming; it is all up to your budget, preferences, and goals. 

While spring may be the best time to sell your home on average, be aware that the housing market changes regularly, and you should talk it over with a trustworthy real estate agent before making big decisions. 

Keep reading to learn all about how to prep your home for the spring market. 

1. Complete repairs and renovations

The first and most essential thing to do when preparing your home for the spring market is complete repairs and renovations. This is best done before you start deep cleaning in order to save yourself the headache of cleaning around any workers in your home. 

This is the time to tackle all the tasks that you have been postponing. Check the taps, doors, windows, and air conditioning units around the home for problems and to lower cooling costs while you still live in the home. If you need to, don't hesitate to call a specialist to help you with major repairs. 

If you have an outdated kitchen or space, this is the time to renovate. It doesn't have to be a huge task; simply switching out the cabinets or adding new flooring can go a long way. 

Consider adding a deck or outdoor patio to add value for resale. Adding a nice outdoor space is perfect to increase value for resale in the spring so buyers can visualize themselves in the nice weather on their new porch. 

Depending on your construction abilities, the average cost of building a patio is between $3,000 and $5,000. The addition of a patio can increase home value by 8 to 10% and can earn you a return on investment of over 80%. 

No matter what you do, make sure you get any repairs and renovations out of the way first, then tackle the smaller tasks afterward.  

2. Deep clean and declutter

Similar to prepping for an open house, you should always prioritize deep cleaning and overall decluttering. Not only will this be extremely helpful during the moving process, but it'll greatly increase your chance of selling your home in the spring. 

Whether you decide to hire a professional cleaning service or tackle deep cleaning by yourself, your goal should be to make it as attractive as possible. Focus on the most used rooms like bathrooms, kitchen, and living room. However, don't overlook the details, like dusting all baseboards, ceiling fans, light switches, and any other small parts of the home. 

It is recommended to declutter first and get rid of everything you don't need, and this will make cleaning much easier and faster. A cleaning checklist is one of the best things to create to prioritize your time and energy better. 

3. Depersonalize 

When buyers are looking at your home, they need to be able to visualize themselves in the home. If your personal items are still out in the open, it can make it more difficult for buyers to envision themselves purchasing the home. 

The key is finding the perfect balance of creating a neutral but appealing home. Staging your home is the key to success whether you are selling in the spring, winter, summer, or fall. According to the NAR Report, the most common rooms that are staged are the living room (90%), kitchen (80%), owner's bedroom (78%), and dining room (69%). 

To depersonalize and stage the home, remove all family photos, personal belongings, artwork, clothes, and other miscellaneous items from the counters. Creating an appealing home is imperative to gain the upper hand in a competitive seller's market. 

While depersonalizing your home, chat with your real estate agent to decide if you should rearrange furniture in any of the rooms.

4. Clean the exterior

As you clean the interior, don't disregard the exterior of your home because it is just as important. The exterior of a home is likely not cleaned as regularly as the inside, but buyers will be looking for a home that is in good condition on the inside and outside.

Cleaning the exterior means cleaning outdoor class fixtures, pressure washing, repainting, and more.  While pressure washing, include the front door, garage door, and backside of the home. You might even want to power wash the fence if you have one. 

Any effort towards cleaning the exterior can have a huge impact on selling your home for the spring market. While cleaning the exterior, keep a list of any minor or major improvements to complete before putting the house on the market. 

5. Boost curb appeal

Curb appeal is extremely important in increasing the attractiveness of your home and community. If you currently live in an HOA, make sure to check the rules and regulations before changing too many things outside. 

Boosting curb appeal includes cleaning up the lawn, gutters, and porch. You can decide if you want to tackle bigger projects like building a clear walkway or adding porch decor. 

Ensure you don't forget about minor details like updating your mailbox and street numbers, as long as your updates are approved by your HOA. 

If you really want to catch the eye of buyers, consider adding exterior lighting, a patio, a front porch, a rear porch, or a deck. These are the top five most wanted outdoor features, all wanted by 75% or more of home buyers, according to the National Association of Home Builders. 

As you work on the exterior of your home, remember not to personalize it just like the inside. You are creating a welcoming space that buyers can imagine themselves living in. 

6. Stage the home

Homes that have been staged correctly are between 33% and 50% less time on the market. This doesn't mean you need to buy all new furniture; most of the time, after decluttering and depersonalizing, all you need to do is rearrange.  

Almost every buyer's agent says that home staging affects some buyer's view of the home. The key is creating a space that a buyer can visualize themselves living in. 

Rearranging furniture is great for opening up a room and extenuating the room's best features. Consider upgrading minor details around the house, like lighting. This can have the same impact as rearranging furniture.

Once you have staged your home, you can hire a professional photographer to take pictures of it. According to the NAR Report, 41% of buyers were more willing to walk through a home they saw online. The more you market your home, the more buyers will see it, and it will be more likely that it will sell fast. 

7. Work with a trustworthy real estate agent

Working with real estate agents is one of the best things you can do for yourself as a buyer or a seller. Real estate agents will take a great deal of stress off your shoulders, which is vital as you go through the selling process.

You can opt to sell a house by owner (FSBO), but this can lead to many problems, such as your home selling for less and staying on the market longer. Not to mention how much work goes into selling a home; if you aren't familiar with the process, it can be easy to become overwhelmed. 

You get 25% more when you use a realtor, so follow the other 89% of owners who work with a realtor. Not only do realtors know the best sales strategies, but they will take the load of the work off your back. This allows you to focus on what is really important to spend your time more wisely. 

Methodology

We used data from many different sources to help determine the best ways to prepare your home for the spring market. Most of the data was sourced from the following sources:

• National Association of Realtors
• Forbes
• National Association of Home Builders

FAQ: Prepping Your Home for the Spring Market

Here are some commonly asked questions about prepping your home for the spring market. 

How do I prepare my property for spring?

The main thing to do is do good spring cleaning. This means cleaning things you wouldn't usually clean around the home, like washing curtains and light fixtures. Don't forget about deep cleaning carpets, floors, and rugs around the home. 

How do I make my house stand out on the market?

Most buyers are looking for homes that look well-maintained, so make sure to focus on curb appeal, which includes landscaping, a new paint job, and a welcoming entryway. If you are posting your home online to sell, make sure there are high-quality photos that exhintuate your home's best features. 

Why do houses sell better in spring?

Typically, buyers have more time to focus on the home search during the spring months. Also, as the temperatures rise, buyers are more likely to go out to open houses. 

What adds to the value of your house?

In addition to thoroughly cleaning your home, larger projects like loft conversions, adding a deck or bathroom, and energy-efficient improvements increase value for resale. You don't need to spend a lot of money to add value to your home; there are many cheaper ways to do this as well. 

What month do houses sell the most?

This depends greatly on the location, current market, and more factors, but typically, homes sell the best between April and October. This is because the demand outweighs supply, and home prices can increase and sell fast. 

Prepping Your Home for the Spring Market - The Bottom Line

Spring is the perfect time for many things, from picking up a sport to cleaning to buying a home. Primarily, it is one of the best times of the year to sell your home if you want it to sell for the most amount of money and the fastest. 

Remember the details, no matter how small they are. You don't want to give buyers any reason not to buy your home. After following this guide, you should be able to sell your home pretty fast, and then it'll be your turn to find your next home. 

As you are searching for your next home, Raleigh, NC, is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country and has many beautiful homes for sale; you'll have to act fast if you want to buy your dream home in one of Raleigh's best neighborhoods. 

Before you buy your next home in the Triangle, feel free to contact one of our helpful real estate specialists, as they are eager to help you find the perfect home. We know that buying a home can be overwhelming, so make sure you are prepared beforehand.