Preparing Your House for Sale in the Spring Real Estate Market

If you’re thinking about preparing a house for sale near St. Paul this spring, Inspecta-Homes is happy to share some tips on getting your home ready for potential buyers.

Clean/Replace flooring

Thoroughly sweep all tile and hardwood surfaces, and then mop to a shine. Shampoo your carpets and make sure stains are properly treated. Replace any carpet or tile that is damaged, stained, or worn beyond repair. Do the same for hardwood floors – or if your hardwood floors are scratched or dull, have them refinished.

Entrance is Everything

It might sound obvious, but the front door is the first thing a buyer will see when visiting your home. First impressions are everything, so make sure your front door and the surrounding area are in tip-top shape. Scale back the decorations, tidy up the front step and front walk, fix any damaged hardware, and paint the door if needed.

Consider a Fresh Coat of Paint

If the front door requires painting, don’t stop there. Any wall/room where the paint is scuffed/scratched/peeling should be painted. Also, if you’ve used bright colors for some of your interior spaces, it’s a smart move to tone these down by repainting the walls in neutral colors with a matte finish. The goal is for your home to appeal to the broadest-possible buyer base, and most buyers prefer a straightforward color scheme that allows them to envision their own color ideas for each room. Check the ceilings and trim and paint these areas too. Also, don’t forget to repair nail holes before painting.

Clean Your Entire House

Every home inspection near Minneapolis goes a lot smoother when the inspector and buyers have easy access to every part of the house. You can get a head-start on the spring sales season by going through your home room by room and:

• Throwing away damaged/broken items
• Shredding/disposing of all unnecessary paperwork
• Stow away anything that isn’t regularly used
• Donate things that have been untouched for a year or more
• If you’re short on space and want to store holiday decorations, bulky furniture, extra clothing, etc., consider renting a temporary offsite storage space.

During your “pre-spring clean”, don’t forget to address the little things. Dust the blinds, clean your appliances, wash the windows, tidy up your closets, dust the baseboards, and launder curtains if necessary.

Odor elimination

Every home has an odor or two, especially if pets are around. Rather than use artificial air fresheners, which can be overpowering and in some cases cause allergies to flare up, bring a sweet scent to your home the natural way: putting out cookies or fresh fruit (apples, oranges, etc.) in the kitchen, boiling fresh cinnamon on the stove before buyers arrive, and dispersing fresh-cut flowers throughout the house.

Address fixtures and hardware

Any outdated/cracked/stained cabinet hardware, shower heads, light fixtures, mirrors, and the like should be replaced. This is an inexpensive touch-up that goes a long way in terms of overall appeal.

For more ideas on how to prepare your house for sale during the spring real estate rush, contact the professionals at Inspecta-Homes.