5 Ways To Put A “Spring” In Your Home’s Curb Appeal

Here’s How To Make Your Home Desirable In Today’s Market

Homes in the Horizon West hot spot here in Central Florida might be selling incredibly well, but selling your home this spring is still going to take some preparation. In today’s market, there are more homes for sale than there were this time last year. Even so, inventory is still historically low. That means that, with a keen eye for the market and a dedication to pricing and preparing your home to sell correctly, your home can still sell quickly, sometimes even over asking price. 

With the spring buying season almost upon us, now is the time to get your home ready for the market. The absolute best way to get your home sold is to work with an experienced agent. But if you’re looking for a taste of the kind of things I might recommend my clients do, here are just a few ways you can ready your home to sell to give it the best chance in today’s market: 

1: Enhance Curb Appeal

Something you can do to boost your home’s market power is to invest in improving your curb appeal in ways that could bring a good return on your investment. No need to make huge changes to your home, but some small projects you can have done by professionals or do yourself can boost your curb appeal really well. 

These cosmetic projects, like refreshing the coat of paint on your walls or power washing the exterior of your home, aren’t really intended to increase the sale value of your home. Rather, they’ll make your home more attractive upon first impressions with a buyer. 

2: Spring Cleaning

It might seem like a given, but you’d be surprised….yes, one of the best ways to get your home ready to sell is to simply keep it clean! Some homes are listed when they are unoccupied, which makes this step a lot easier, but in many cases you’ll still be living in the home while it’s actively on the market. That means, at least for a while, you’ll have to juggle living your day-to-day lives in the home while also being ready to vacate for showings and open houses.

I give my clients in-depth suggestions on how to get their home clean and decluttered when we list it, as well as extensive tips on how to keep it that way as long as the home stays on the market. Doing so has led to great success for my clients, with many buyers noting how my listings can feel like model homes even when actively occupied by the owners. 

For the sake of this blog, here are the basics. Keeping your counters, floors, and bathrooms clean should be your top priority. Keep your sinks clear and put laundry, dishes, and other personal items away promptly after each load. Before a showing, spray some air freshener or light a candle in a safe spot. We want your home to feel airy, clean, and clear. 

3: Make Your Home A Canvas

In the same vein as keeping your home clean, you’ll see even better results if you take clean to the next level and make your home a canvas. That means packing away some of your personal items, photos, etc. Remember that you’re not just asking someone to give you a check to take the home off your hands. You’re welcoming a new family into this home where they will live, play, and love for years to come. 

As such, we don’t just want to make your home attractive to draw potential buyers in. We want to encourage them to imagine this place as their new home. When they can step into a home and not be surrounded by evidence that the space belongs to someone else, it’s that much easier to imagine the home belonging to them. It’s not impossible to do this if you haven’t taken down your personal items and decor, but it does help inspire that sense of potential. 

4: Not All Renovations Are Created Equal

When you go forth to repair and update your home prior to putting it on the market, do remember that these improvements ultimately aren’t ones you’ll get to enjoy yourself. They’re for the benefit of the future owners of the home. Keep this in mind when deciding what projects to undergo. 

A fresh can of paint, filling stucco cracks, or steam cleaning your carpets will boost your home’s curb appeal and improve first impressions without making a big hit to your wallet. Even pricier renovations like replacing old roofing in need of repair or refinishing your floors can still be worth the investment for the return you get on your home’s value. However, now is probably not the time to put in a pool or upgrade your entire kitchen. 

In fact, pools rarely ever make up for their cost in home value. They’re a selling point, to be sure, but you most likely won’t be recouping the entire cost of your pool when you go to sell your home. That said, it’s this Realtor’s recommendation to only put in a pool in a home you’re expecting to enjoy for many years to come. 

The same can be said for full renovations of bathrooms, kitchens, and so on. These might be flashy and will probably be more attractive for buyers at first glance, but you might sink more money into those upgrades than you make back on the sale price. Plus, depending on the nature of your renovation, your taste might not mirror the new homeowners’...and they’ll just renovate it all over again. 

5: Price It Right

At the end of the day, the number one way to give your home a leg up in today’s market is to know how to price your home correctly. The real estate business is a lot more complicated than slapping a number on a sign and waiting for the buyers to roll in. Even if your home is the most beautiful, highly upgraded, waterfront property with all the bells and whistles…if you don’t price it well, it’s not going to sell. At least not for a long while…but sitting on the market too long brings along its own share of problems. 

So how do you price your home to sell? Well, you can scour the internet and pull out your own hair at conflicting information, sensationalist headlines, and facts that don’t even apply to our local market here in Horizon West…or you could enlist the help of someone who knows the market, knows how to price a home to sell, and knows how to attract buyers. Much like all the other tips in this article, partnering with an ethical, experienced Realtor will bring value to your home well beyond the investment you put in. 

Looking To Sell Your Home This Spring? 

As we head full-swing into the spring season, now is the time to get your house ready to sell. If you have any other questions about the current market and when is the best time to buy or sell your Central Florida home, give me a call or shoot me a text to my cell at 407-848-8042.

As the top Realtor in the 34787 area code, I have years of experience assisting both buyers and sellers in their home owning journey. I work hard to demystify the entire process for you and your family, so you can focus on enjoying the ride. If you’re ready to take the next step in buying or listing a home, let’s get in touch! I’m always eager to help.