12 Ways to Prep Your Home to Sell in the Spring

The term spring cleaning has been around for decades and for good reason. Not only does it feel good to get out of your house but it feels good to get things cleaned up, organized, and taken care of. 

Here are some of the best things you can do to get your house ready to sell this spring and some general maintenance tips you should take care of anyway even if you're not selling yet.


#1 Windows

Cleaning the inside and outside of your windows allows more sunlight into your home and greatly enhances the appearance of the home.


#2 Washing the Siding

Every home has a particular spot where it just collects dirt and grime. Mine is a little shady area right behind the garage. Although this might not be visible from the curb it's still a good idea to clean it.


#3 Freshen up the Landscaping

Adding a few bags of mulch on top of your existing mulch or just a little bit of extra Rock to get it nice and clean while removing dead plant life, leaves, and other debris is a cheap and effective way to greatly increase the curb appeal of your home. The grass might not yet be green, but your landscaping can look fresh. Spring is also the best time to add fertilizer to your lawn.


#4 Powerwash all you can

A clean sidewalk, driveway, and entry, to the home, is the best way to get the best first impression.


#5 Clean those gutters

Get up on a ladder or get one of those fancy extension tubes that you connect to the hose and get those gutters clean. Make sure you're not missing any of your downspout extensions and that they aren't all bent and beat up. Replace as necessary. 


Inside the home, there are a lot of things you can do to prepare your home for the market as well. 

#6 Inside the Home

there are a lot of things you can do to prepare your home for the market as well. To start put everything away, and I mean everything. If it's on a countertop put it away. You'll find that only the things that you need to use every day need to be out on the counter. This is likely only your coffee pot. In the bathrooms, everything can be put away as well. Bathroom countertops are notorious for holding more things than you use daily.


#7 Give Your home the deep clean it deserves

Open all the windows wipe out all the tracks. Clean all the appliances. Deep clean the bathrooms, the kitchen, and give all your floors and stairs attention too.


#7 Give Your home the deep clean it deserves
Open all the windows wipe out all the tracks. 

Clean all the appliances. Deep clean the bathrooms, the kitchen, and give all your floors and stairs attention too.


#8 Don't forget the furnace filter
You probably have an air conditioning system that uses the same fan to move the hot air in the winter AND cold air in the summer. Make sure the exterior condensing unit also gets the lawn clippings and dust rinsed out of it. Open up the house to give it some fresh air and get rid of any odors from being sealed up all winter.

#9 General Maintainance
Swap out all the batteries in your smoke alarms with new ones. Replace alarms that are older than 10. No one likes the sound of a chirping alarm. Make sure the doors and locks all work as they should. The front door deadbolt should lock easily with one hand on the key. A fresh coat of paint on the front door can make a huge difference. 


#10 Prep work
When prepping the inside of your home for sale, take a step back and imagine you are the buyer. That scuff on the wall that you've walked past for a while and that small bit of touch-up paint needed on the baseboards makes an impact on the buyer. Declutter and depersonalize. We want people to see your home, not your collection of shot glasses from every state you visited. Although you may not notice these things a buyer will. The small amount of time and effort into these little things can make a huge difference. These little things tell the buyer that this home was cared for and this home was loved. It lets them see how they could love this home too. 


#11 Add some color
Buyers have been staring at black and white all winter long, adding some fresh flowers inside and out brings life to your home. 


#12 and certainly not least, call us
One call to the professionals at Century 21 Atwood and we take care of the rest!


For more tips on selling your home in any season or general maintenance tips, we are always here to help. And Remember to ALWAYS, WORK WITH A PRO!