15 Easy Tips on How to Sell Your Home in the Spring

Spring is the optimum time to sell a home. Regardless of whether it's a hot, cold or neutral market, inventory almost always rises in the spring because the largest number of buyers are actively searching for a new home during April, May, and June.

If your home has been languishing on the market since the holidays, take it off the market. 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 months. The Days on Market (DOM) matters to home buyers because buyers gravitate toward fresh, new listings. Below are other things you can do to improve the odds that your home will stand out among the sea of new listings flooding the spring-time real estate market:

Give these tips for selling your home during springtime a try.

1. Wash windows inside and out, and polish all mirrors. 

Sparkle is free, and it 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 in preparing your home for sale.

2. Rake the yard and trim the back bushes. 

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.

3. Mow your lawn diagonally and don't miss the edge lawn along your driveway and sidewalks. 

Artfully-manicured lawns are given an edge and tell buyers you pay attention to small details. Diagonally mowed lawns make your yard appear larger.

4. Transplant tulips and daffodils or buy flowers in containers. 

Yellow flowers specifically 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. Arrange containers in groups of three or five near the entrance.

5. Clean drapes, curtains and blinds, and open every window. 

Send your window coverings to the dry cleaners or wash, dry, and press them. Toss 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 invite the season inside.

6. Set out fresh flowers.

Freshly-cut lilac branches or peonies bring life to your space. Why not flatter your neighbors and ask if you can borrow flowers from their yards? Natural scents are more appealing than artificial, and trigger fewer allergies among those susceptible.

Peony vases are designed to hold peonies upright but wash the flowers first to avoid carrying ants inside. Clever home staging brings color and fragrance indoors.

7. Polish floors to a high gloss. 

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

8. Utilize towels, throws, and pillows in light colors like pastels.

Even if it means replacing items, towels, linens, throws and sofa pillows are inexpensive accents you can buy. In soft spring colors, they will light up a room. Layer towels on bathroom towel racks and place rolled washcloths on the counters in a fashionable pyramid.

9. Offer an outdoor mat for cleaning shoes, and put an umbrella stand at the entrance. 

No matter where you live, spring weather is often unpredictable. In some states, it can be 72 degrees one day and snowing the next. 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.

10. Buy brightly-colored helium balloons. 

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

11. Set out colored flyers and financing options. 

Don't skimp on your home marketing materials. You want home buyers to select your flyer among the dozens they pick up, and color gets noticed more than black and white.

Show home buyers how easily they can afford to buy your home by giving them two or three financing options. The first thing on buyers' minds when considering a home purchase is the monthly mortgage payment. Don't make them guess.

12. Use a color photo for display advertising. 

Spend a little more on newspaper and online advertising by including a color photograph in your ad. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words. Look through your photo galleries for a seasonal photograph that flaunts your home to its best advantage.

13. Mail colored postcards with a UV coating. 

Call a local title company to obtain a free direct-mail list of your surrounding neighbors. Print oversized postcards in color and include a UV coating to give the marketing oomph. Top it off by using first-class postage.

14. Fill a sink with ice to chill bottled water for guests. 

Put a dozen or so bottles of water in a sink of ice for buyers. You can also tape labels to the bottles, printed from your computer, with your phone number, a photograph, and address of your home.

15. Set out treats, individually wrapped in cellophane and tied with ribbon. 

Touring homes makes buyers hungry. Give them a snack. It will give buyers an opportunity to linger in your kitchen and marvel at its elegant touches which might otherwise be overlooked.