3 Ways to Prepare Your Home to List

There is a lot of planning and many moving parts that go into getting your home ready to sell, particularly if you’re hoping to enter the market during the bustling spring season. Taking some key steps ahead of time can help make the entire selling process easier, allowing you to show off your property in the best light and perhaps even set yourself up for a faster, easier, and more lucrative sale.

So, what steps can you take in the winter months to set yourself up for a successful spring sale? Here are three key things you can do to prepare for the spring market:

1. Connect With a Real Estate

Agent

The winter season can be a great time to do some research and start looking for the real estate agent who will help you with your home sale, so you can hit the ground running for an early spring start.

Finding a real estate professional is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in the journey to sell your home. Working with an experienced, knowledgeable real estate agent is one of the most effective ways to streamline your home sale, so you can make this complex process faster and easier, at every step of the way.

2. Declutter and Depersonalize

Whether you’ve lived in your home for a few years or a few decades, you’ve probably left a mark. In order to get your home ready to sell by spring, it helps to take some time during the winter to declutter and depersonalize your space.

Depersonalizing your space means taking steps to make it easier for buyers to picture themselves living there, allowing them to see your listing as their dream home. Often, this will involve taking down family photos, unique pieces of art, sports memorabilia, and other specific touches that could distract, or even turn off, prospective buyers. The winter can also be a great time to make some simple cosmetic switches that make your home more inviting and appealing, like replacing distinctive lighting fixtures or wallpaper patterns with more accessible, neutral choices.

The winter months can also be a prime time to pack, organize, and get rid of the clutter that may have built up around your property over the years, while also taking on some simple cleaning tasks. This way, you can make sure that your real estate professional will be able to show off your home in the best possible light come springtime.

To declutter your home, focus on target areas, such as living areas and storage spaces, working in steps to sort through your stuff and throw away items you no longer want, donate usable goods to local charities, and move other things into temporary storage. Along the way, you can make your home shine by handling some simple cleaning jobs, including wiping down your counters and cabinets, cleaning floors, washing windows, and making sure that the home smells clean and fresh.

3. Spruce Up Your Space, Inside and Out

Want to help manage your “cabin fever” — and help get your home ready to sell when the spring market rolls around? During the winter, take some t i m e to do a walk through of your entire property, imagining how you’d view the space as a potential buyer. This can be a great way to help you see your familiar home with fresh eyes, allowing you to make plans when it comes to updating, renovating, and staging your home for spring.

There are all sorts of key tasks you can take on during winter, from scheduling a pre-listing inspection to connecting with a professional staging company to talk strategy. The winter months can also be a great time to take on some DIY projects, from painting the walls to sprucing up the curb appeal on the outside of your home.

3 Ways to Prepare Your Property During the Winter to List This Spring

If you’re planning to sell your home this spring, start preparing NOW with these helpful tips. Plus, they’re a proven cure for cabin fever.