WAYS to Get Ready to Sell Your Home This Summer

Summer has long been one of the best and most popular seasons for selling a home. If you’re ready to put your home on the market, follow these steps to make sure you’re in prime showing shape for the summer selling season.

1. Find a real estate agent. Use this time to interview several agents and make the right selection. Choose an agent with excellent local market expertise, technology savvy, and negotiating skills. The relationship you have with your agent is important, so be sure to select someone you connect with and communicate well with.

2. Make necessary repairs. If your real estate agent advises that certain repairs be done prior to listing your home, take the time to contact the appropriate contractors or service providers to help make the repairs. Make them before you list your house, as they will likely affect the price at which you can list your home.

3. Have a painting party. There’s likely more than one room in your home that will need to be painted before it hits the market. Stick to neutral colors that help to tone down a space, as bold colors can reduce offers. Spend the next few weekends accomplishing the task.

4. Pack up. Now is the perfect time to start packing up unnecessary items. Not only will this give you a head start on your eventual move, it will declutter your home for optimal showing purposes.

5. Stage your home. Staging helps to focus on your home's strengths, downplay any weaknesses and appeal to the largest pool of prospective buyers. Move furniture around for better flow, which makes rooms seem larger. Use brighter light bulbs in lamps and fixtures to add more light and open up windows. Spruce up the kitchen cabinets with a coat of paint or at least new hardware.

6. Plan a photo shoot. Once the essential cosmetic changes have been made, talk to your real estate agent about the best time to photograph and film your house. Make sure your surrounding property is camera-ready too. Gather photos of your garden in full bloom and your pool or patio under the bright sun so that your agent can add them to the listing.

Your trusted real estate agent will have other directives based on the specifics of your home and its location. Be sure to heed their advice as they know what it takes to get a home sold.