Preparing to sell: Taking care of your home during the winter months

Spring is right around the corner, and consumers are ready to pound the pavement looking for the next Open House. If you are thinking about listing your home for sale in time for the spring rush, it’s a good idea that you get prepared now. There are small things that you can do now in order to get your home ready to show. Just a few simple things each week can save you from being bombarded and strapped for time once showing season gets into full swing.

Winter lawn care: One of the things that buyers look for is a picture perfect yard. If your grass is dry or discolored if gives off the impression that the home has been abandoned, or that the owners have not taken care of their investment. One of the simplest things that you can do is to pick up any leaves that are in the yard. Leaves that are left in the yard for long periods of time can create unsightly dead spots in your lawn.

It is also important that you let your lawn “breathe”. Leaving clutter such as toys and equipment on the lawn will prevent the lawn from being able to breathe and absorb sunlight. 

Cosmetics: The first impression that a buyer gets is when they first drive through your neighborhood. You want to make sure that you never give them a chance to turn around and drive away without stopping to see the inside of your house. While small cosmetic changes may not dramatically increase the financial return on your sale, they may in fact have an impact on how fast you sell your home. Replace any broken or discolored shutters or overhangs, fix the screens in all of the windows, and make sure that your mailbox is in decent shape. By spending a few dollars at the hardware store, you could possibly change how fast your home is sold. 

Clear out that clutter:  It’s a good idea to go ahead and prepare your house for the first showing appointment. Depending on how long you have lived in your home, you may have amassed a great deal of clutter. Instead of going through the house and boxing up everything to go in the attic or in the garage, separate it and prepare to have a yard sale at the first sign of spring. Buyers who tour your home will want to see how much space you have. Filling up your garage or attic with tons of boxes does the buyer no good when they are trying to judge how large of a space you have. Do yourself a favor, and make sure that your garage and your attic are just as clean and neat as the rest of your house. Buyers will appreciate the extra time and attention that you put into showing off your space.

In a competitive market, it’s always good to stay one step ahead of the rest. Taking these small steps can make a world of difference, and potentially put more money in your pocket than you bargained for.

Why you should list your house TODAY!

As the weather gets colder and people retreat indoors, many homeowners are questioning whether or not this is a good time to sell. Putting your house on the market can be a scary experience, but with the right Realtor and a positive attitude the process of selling your home does not have to be a daunting task.
One of the many issues that many homeowners have is that they are too concerned about what Naysayers believe in. If you listen to the masses online and on the news, you’ll find that many are adopting the ‘gloom and doom’ attitude. This is the segment of our population who has watched the real estate market suffer tremendously in their area. But what they don’t tell you is that the rise and fall of residential real estate is dependent on the area in which you live. Many of the smaller cities in Eastern, NC have not suffered as much as other cities around the country due to the surge of development in these Eastern NC cities. Cities such as Greenville, NC have experienced a surge in population due to the growth in business and industry. With that growth comes the need for affordable housing. Sellers in this area may be surprised to find that putting their house on the market right now is a better idea than they thought.
Another misconception that homeowners believe is that putting a house on the market in the winter months is a bad idea. While people may not be running in droves to go house hunting every weekend in December, there are still some buyers in need of finding a home for the holiday season. With the beginning of a new year, many people are starting fresh at a new job or a new school for their children. The change in seasons does not affect these potential buyers because their need for housing is greater than their desire for convenient house hunting weather.
What’s also great for homeowners to consider is the surge of new properties on the market for the spring. Warmer weather tends to result in a flood of new listings. For people who really need to sell, you do not want to get lost in the sea of new listings and Open Houses. You want to make sure that you and your Realtor have taken care of all the necessary steps to getting your house sold before the rush starts.  Getting your house on the market in the winter months may be the best thing for you to do right now.
For more information on how to get your house sold, or to list your house with one of our specialists, contact David Lever at252-714-8827 or by email at dlever@leverandrussell.com