Top 12 Ways to Sell Your North Shore Home in the Spring

Spring is great time to sell a home on the North Shore. Regardless of whether it’s a buyer’s market or a seller’s market, inventory almost always rises in the spring. Why? Because a large number of buyers are actively searching for a new home during the months of September, October and November.

It’s been a wet miserable winter but now the sun is shining and everyone’s spirits are starting to lift.  Our dollar is doing well, and mortgage interest rates are still at an acceptable level. Although the media reports that there has been a slump in sales over the winter and selling prices still remain slightly below that of 2007, we are finding that on the North Shore sales are holding their own. The popularity of our wonderful North Shore remains high. The culture of our high decile schools, our wonderful beaches, our low crime rate, and of course the wonderful people that live among us are just some of the attractions that bring newcomers to our area on a daily basis.

Here’s a tip: If your home has been languishing on the market over winter, take it off the market, right now. Give it a chance to “cool down” for a few weeks before putting it back on the market. Nobody is going to look at your home in the spring if it’s been on the market for several months. Buyers gravitate toward fresh, new listings!

And here’s another Tip: Get the & Secrets of Getting a Great Price When you Sell your Home!

Here are 12 things you can do to improve the odds that your home will stand out among the new listings coming to the spring real estate market:

Sparkle is free, and sparkle sells homes. A potential buyer may not realize why your home seems so inviting but will feel drawn to it if the windows are spotless and your mirrors reflect sunlight. Cleaning is the first step to preparing your home for sale.

Clean out dead leaves and debris in your lawn. Don’t let overgrown vegetation block the windows or path to the entrance. Cutting bushes and tree limbs will let the sun inside and showcase the exterior of your home.

Artfully manicured lawns are edged and tell buyers you pay attention to small details. here’s a tip: Diagonally mowed lawns make your backyard appear larger.

Yellow flowers stimulate buying urges. After a long winter, everybody is anxious to see the first signs of spring. Yellow tulips and daffodils induce feelings of happiness and contentment. The scent of freesias is intoxicating. Arrange containers in groups of three or five near the entrance.

Send your window coverings to the dry cleaners or wash, dry and press. Throw blinds into a soapy bathtub for a quick wash. Get rid of all accumulated dust and spider webs. Crisp linens and a spring-time breeze through the windows invites spring inside.

Your hardwood floors should be refinished, if necessary. Make your tiled and linoleum floors twinkle and shine. Bleach dull grout. Thoroughly clean all area rugs.

Use towels, throws, pillows in light colors – yellows, pinks, pale blues, lavenders. Even if it means replacing items, towels, linens, throws and sofa pillows are inexpensive accents you can buy. In soft spring colours, they will light up a room. Layer towels on bathroom towel racks and place rolled wash cloths on the counters in a fashionable pyramid.

On the North Shore, spring weather is often unpredictable. In one open home, you can have sun and in the next it will rain for 30 minutes. If it’s raining, give buyers a place to stash umbrellas and wipe their feet before entering your home. Some sellers lay down plastic runners across floors for protection, but that tends to ruin the effect of a glittering polish job.

Stationery and party-supply stores sell helium balloons for about a dollar each. So, there’s no reason not to pick up a couple of dozen balloons to tie to your open house signs. Balloons build excitement and will get your home noticed by open home buyers.

Don’t skimp on your marketing materials at open homes. You want home buyers to select your flyer among the dozens they pick up. Colour sells better than black and white. Make sure your real estate agent advertises to local buyers by dropping flyers in neighbours letterboxes

Economists are predicting one thing and interest rates do the opposite. For more on interest rates click here. It is quite confusing at the moment to try and understand what the rates might do in the future, especially more so for first time buyers. Make sure your real estate agent has two or three financing options. The first thing on buyer’s minds when considering a home purchase is the monthly mortgage payment. Is your real estate agent making your home easy to buy?

Spend a little more on newspaper and online advertising and include spring photographs in your ads. Remember: a picture is worth a 1,000 words. Look through your photo galleries for a seasonal photographs with flowers that show off  your home to its best advantage.

Individually wrapped sweets in cellophane are great. Touring homes makes buyers hungry. Give them a snack. It will give buyers an opportunity to linger.

And don’t forget to check out the 7 Secrets of Getting a Great Price when you sell your Home.