Selling a house in Spring can be a good time as the weather is getting warmer and traditionally more people are out house hunting. Furthermore, many industry specific reports have shown that spring is the best time to sell a property.
In a busier West London market, it’s important to work with a reputable estate agent who knows the local market well and can help you price your house competitively for the spring market.
With many years’ experience selling homes through all the seasons, Horton and Garton are well placed to impart knowledge specifically surrounding selling in spring. There are several tips for selling your house in spring and some suggestions on how to make your property stand out.
Tips for selling a house in Spring
With the weather improving, the days getting longer and the spring bulbs blossoming we outline the top tips for selling a house in spring below.
Spring clean your home
If you’re planning to sell your home in spring, giving your home a deep spring cleaning can help make your home look more presentable to potential buyers.
Spring cleaning can include deep cleaning the carpet, cleaning the windows, dusting all the nooks in your home, touching up or repainting the walls and more. These are all small yet impactful steps that can go a long way in impressing potential buyers.
Declutter your property
Clutter can often make a home seem darker and dirtier, so whatever time of year you are selling, decluttering and cleaning your property is a fundamental part of getting a property in top shape prior to listing.
Take Advantage of Natural Light in Your Home
Lighting is a crucial aspect to consider when selling your home. By brightening your home, you can help make it look more inviting and spacious to those viewing the property.
Rooms with windows offer an excellent opportunity to bring in as much natural light as possible, so clean your windows to remove any dirt that may have accumulated and open the curtains and blinds.
Enhance your home’s curb appeal
Enhance your home’s curb appeal by adding colour and/or restoring paintwork.
Adding colourful flowers and plants to the entrance area of your home can lift the space and make a home more welcoming. With regards to paintwork, whether it is a wooden gate, the window surrounds or the front door, repairing and repainting can have a big impact on the overall curb appeal.
Make outside spaces stand out
Similarly, to the front of the property, adding colour to any other outside space can also be positive and lift the area. Whether you add pots to a patio, balcony or terrace or add some colourful bedding plants to the borders. Contrasting spring colours can make a home stand out online and in person.
To the same end, outdoor lighting whether it’s at the front or the rear of the property can make a space look particularly smart. Despite the clocks changing, the sun can leave before an evening viewing, meaning any garden lighting can make an outside space really shine.
Stage your home
Consider staging your home potentially with the addition of spring-themed decor and furnishings.
Home staging is something previously only used by developers selling expensive homes in exclusive residential areas such as Knightsbridge and Belgravia but have they been onto something that perhaps all home-sellers should consider? Homes in an immaculate condition that allow a potential buyer to imagine themselves moving in tomorrow often sell swiftly and at a good price. Decluttering and cleaning are obvious steps but those who feel their home might be lacking something, or want to give their home a boost, might wish to engage the services of a home stager.
If you want to simply give your home a little spring-time boost; whether it’s the centre piece of your dining table or a vase of flowers on the kitchen counter. Spring is regarded to be a joyful time meaning a few light touch decorative items might elevate the space.
Price your home competitively
Spring is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year to move home. This is positive for sellers as it tends to mean more buyers are out looking for properties. However, this also results in there being more sellers making their homes available for sale meaning pricing is paramount. Too high and your home will not gain interest and traction to appeal to potential buyers. Too low and you might make buyers falsely believe there is an issue with the property.
Work with reputable real estate agent
In a busy and competitive market, it is likely estate agents will all be vying for business and this can result in inflated listing prices on homes coming to the market. All too often these homes become stale on the property portals and have to endure extended marketing periods often with large price reductions in order to successfully attract a buyer and agree a sale. It’s important for a seller to look for key characteristics and traits in a selling agent, one they can trust and will welcome advice from.
Make your property stand out on the market for sale
Some of the key tips for selling a house in spring are identical to recommendations and top tips for selling in winter, summer or autumn but with a slight spring-time twist.
These are the 3 top priorities for those selling in spring, these are the points to really focus on to give your home a boost and make your property stand out on the market for sale:
- Give the front of your property a spring clean – curb appeal really is that important that we’ve mentioned it multiple times in this article. Paint your front door, clear away muck and dead leaves, add a flower pot. First impressions count.
- Make sure your home is entirely free of clutter – messy rooms, unorganised shelves full of dusty objects, cupboards crammed with rarely used items. If needs be, especially if you’re upsizing for more space, hire a storage unit for a few months for rarely used belongings. Clutter really can have that much of an effect when selling.
- Price your home based on a realistic assessment of its value and the local market – don’t be lured by the highest value given unless you truly believe it to be accurate of the market based on a recent sale on the same road of a comparable home.
How to choose a selling agent
When choosing a selling agent, you should consider factors such as their experience, reputation, fees, marketing strategies, and communication skills.
It’s important to do your research, read reviews, and interview at least 2 or 3 agents before making a decision of who to instruct to sell your property.
Additionally, make sure that the agent you choose is licensed and registered with a professional organization such as the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and The Property Ombudsman.
If you’re so inclined and want to understand your home’s value better, it’s also prudent to explore recently sold properties in your area, find information online surrounding pricing – not the guide price, but the sale price logged with Land Registry. An estate agent will deep dive into this data when pricing a home, similarly a bank valuer will consider the same information. This data will give you a strong indication of an appropriate price for your property.
Whilst there are many other variables that an agent considers when proposing a strategy and pricing for your home, having a broad knowledge of recently sold homes on your street or neighbouring roads will enable you to make an informed decision when choosing an agent.
Selling a house this Spring
When considering when is the best time to sell, it’s highly possible that spring is the most opportune time to do so. It is prudent though, for sellers to be aware of the busier market place and follow a strategy suited to this time of year.
If you’re planning to sell a property this spring and would like to understand the market better please do get in touch, without obligation.
