Drive up demand for your home this spring with these 5 easy and low cost tips
We are gearing up for the Spring Market and if you’re thinking of selling in the coming weeks or months, it’s time to start prepping. We’re often asked “What should I do to my home prior to listing?” and “How can I help to get the best price for my home?”
Psychologists say we make up our minds about a person in 7 seconds of meeting them. The same is true when viewing a home so trust us when we tell you that first impressions are just as important! We have over 24 years of experience helping clients sell their homes and know all the tips and tricks to help you get the best price possible. Here is a short list of our top recommendations for getting your home ready for sale this Spring. Of course there is no ‘one size fits all’ magic bullet, so call us if you would like personalized advice and specific recommendations for your home.
Yard clean up and minor landscaping
This is important because as soon as the potential clients arrives at your property, they start to form their first opinion and yes that starts before they walk through the front door. So take a look around your entrance. Does it look clean and inviting? If not, here are some suggestions.
- Pull the weeds from the garden beds and trim back trees and shrubs
- Remove all clutter, such as old planter boxes, gardening tools, or kid’s toys
- Powerwash the walkway and side of the house
- Wash the windows and outside of door
- Plant some colourful spring flowers, or buy a planter ready-made
Patio before power washing, planting and staging 
After amazing transformation
Declutter and De-personalize
Clutter makes your home look smaller and it can also be very distracting. Personal items and photos of your family are nice for your space, but you want the potential buyer to be envisioning THEIR new space. Clean it out, take it down, box it away….after all, you plan to be moving soon anyways!
Minor Repairs
Your home may be in great condition but noticeable minor details can make a potential buyer speculate what else might be wrong. Fix visual issues like a dripping faucet, paint chips, burnt out lightbulbs, worn out caulking, re-adjust cabinets/cupboards and make sure everything is clean! We don’t usually recommend undertaking most major repairs prior to listing, those are usually best disclosed to buyers and taken into account in the selling price.
Neutral Pallet
Although we all have our personal favourite colour schemes, when you’re selling it’s best not to have an overly predominant colour in any room. Think of your house as a canvas and make it ready for the next buyer to paint it and style it the way they want. You want the potential buyer to be able to envision their own style and that’s a more difficult task if you’re starting with bright purple walls. Also, we tend to associate various emotions with specific colors and everyone can be slightly different, so it’s best to keep it neutral.
“Before” green walls 
“After” neutral pallet
Staging
You wouldn’t think so, but rooms tend to look smaller without furniture. Potential buyers also tend to focus on every detail and flaw when looking at an empty room. Have you ever noticed how many nail holes are in a wall of a staged room? Probably not, because your eyes will usually be drawn to the furniture and beautiful decor. Staging with a professional is the best option as they can bring in a specific trend or design to the room while making it look as spacious and inviting as possible.
Personalize Plan
If you would like a detailed personalized plan for your property with full recommendations and steps on what to do to your home prior to selling, contact Tim or Shannon at the Walters Real Estate Group. Our experience and industry contacts make it easy to provide you with the right advice to make sure your home presents perfectly prior to the first potential buyer stepping foot on your doorstep. Then the rest you can leave to us! Call us for details.