The spring real estate market tends to be the busiest time of the year. If you’re listing your home this spring, you’ll likely enjoy the attention of buyers looking to move over the summer – but you’re also going to have more competition. Here are some ways to prepare for the spring market:
Spring Real Estate Market: The Best Time to Sell?
Spring sellers may enjoy more offers at higher prices due to competitive buyers. But they also have to deal with more homes on the market taking the attention off their own listing.
The spring real estate market tends to be the most saturated, but it’s also the seasonal market with the most buyers. This means that things tend to move fast. Figure out if this is the best time of the year for you to move.
How quickly do you need to sell? Will you be selling your home before you make an offer on a new one? Timing is key for selling and buying, so make sure you know what to expect from the spring market in your area.
The spring market for listing a home actually begins in January and continues through March. If you’re hoping to sell this spring but haven’t listed your house yet, now is the time. You’ll still be able to catch those buyers who want to move in the next couple months but haven’t found their dream home yet.
If you have already listed but aren’t seeing much action, read on for tips to sell.
Tips for a Quicker Home Sale
One advantage of the spring market is that there are typically more buyers to put offers is on your home. But you should still do what you can to help your home stand out from other sales:
- Price it right. You want to get a great price for your home, but if it sits for too long, that can cost you money over time. So avoid pricing it too high over what is reasonable, or your home might be overlooked.
- Clear out your stuff. This sounds obvious, but it’s an important step that is often forgotten. Before you put your house on the market, pack up unnecessary decor items, pictures and anything else that adds clutter.Removing as much as possible will make every room in your home look larger. Not only with a more bare home allow potential buyers to visualize themselves in the space, but you will also get a jump on your packing.
- Focus on improvements that count. Curb appeal is crucial, so start there. Are there any eyesores that could be fixed easily? Planting flowers or updating chipped paint can go a long way. Inside the house, funnel your money toward kitchens and bathrooms. That doesn’t mean you have to gut your kitchen and spend thousands to fix it up.Just look at the areas that could turn off a potential buyer – maybe by replacing a dingy sink or outdated light fixtures.
- Work with an agent. It can be tempting to cut costs by selling the property on your own, especially if you live in an area that sells quickly. But a good real estate agent can make sure your house is on the major listing sites, is shared on their social media sites and facilitate the messier, more complicated parts of the sale so the process moves faster.
Credit: hswick, Solari Financial Planning