Winter is here, and many of us are so busy preparing ourselves for the blanketing of snow and the dropping temperatures that spring isn’t anywhere on our radar. While thinking this far ahead may not be typical, if you are considering selling your home this coming spring, it could be imperative. Mindfully preparing your home to sell can make all the difference when it comes to the springs saturated real-estate market; this is the busiest real-estate season with many people preferring warm-weather moves or closing dates that fall outside of the school year, so getting your home ready for sale now could be what makes the difference come go-time. Here are a few ways you can start planning for your spring listing now.   

Talk to Me

First and foremost, connecting with a real estate agent is a great way to prepare yourself for the weeks and months ahead. Your realtor can gauge interest in your home and give you an idea of what listing price would work. They can also let you know about specific upgrades you may want to make before the listing goes public. Agents know the ropes, and taking advantage of their expertise is a great way to begin your journey.

Repairs

With a spring listing ahead, the winter months are a good time to start staggering repairs throughout the home as it can be the most time-consuming task to complete before you list. Begin by doing a walk-through of your house, taking note of anything that needs repair or is aesthetically unpleasing. You may wind up with old carpets that need replacing, water damage, a new coat of paint, duct cleaning, furnace or A/C repairs, or maybe even smaller energy-efficient upgrades to give your home something extra, such as switching to LED lighting or sealing off windows and doors to maintain the internal temperature of the home. Whatever the repair may be, preparing yourself ahead of time and knowing what to expect in terms of time and cost is a must in preparing your spring listing.

Declutter, Depersonalize, and Stage

We naturally feel the urge to declutter once spring-cleaning fever hits; this allows us to crawl out of our winter hibernation and brighten our space to enjoy it to its fullest. If you are preparing for a spring listing though, you might want to push up your seasonal motivation and begin getting rid of clutter, and removing or storing away items that show your personal life, such as pictures, certificates, and wall hangings. It is important for a buyer to envision their life in your home, and it becomes easier to do that once your presence is somewhat minimized. Additionally, staging your home can work wonders in generating curb appeal, and Royal Lepage offers free staging consults to all sellers to ensure the home gets the interest it deserves.

Prepare yourself as a Buyer

Lastly, preparing yourself as a buyer will help move along the process as well. Knowing what you can afford, what neighbourhoods you are interested in, when you want to move, and whether you are downsizing or upsizing, are all things to keep in mind during the preparation stage. Visiting your bank or financial institution can help you to gauge what you can afford as a buyer, which will be of great importance when it comes to finding your new home. 

Preparing your home for a sale is an important task no matter when you are thinking of listing. By beginning the work for your spring sale this winter, you are giving yourself months to make your house really stand out in the busiest real-estate season there is. Additional things to consider to move the process along come spring are saving receipts for all the work completed, and preparing your bills as the homeowner to reflect the average cost throughout the year for things like hydro and property taxes; interested parties will generally show interest in costs aside from the mortgage payment to ensure they can afford the investment they are making. Taking these steps is a great way to be on top of your game this spring, and get a head start on selling your home. Contact me today for more information on preparing your home for sale.

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