If you are planning to list your home for the upcoming spring market, don’t wait until April to start preparing. Here is a list of items that you can start doing now to make the process just a little bit easier.

1.Talk with a trusted REALTOR®

Most blogs would put this at the end so that you are more likely to remember it and give them a call. But I’m putting it first because talking to your REALTOR® can help you determine you ideal listing date. From setting that date, you are then able to create a timeline and plan, working backwards from that date. And that date is just a guideline - it can be flexed forward or back, as your life requires. Your REALTOR® can also walk through your home with you and give you a guideline of what you should focus on when preparing your home.

One thing that is often not mentioned by REALTORS® is that you don’t have to work with the first one you talk to. It is a fantastic idea to interview different REALTORS® and go with the one that you feel the best connection with. You are going to be having this person in your home, talking to them about personal and sometimes difficult scenarios. If you don’t know, like and trust them, then they might not be the REALTOR® for you.

2. Make a list of deferred maintenance to be completed

Deferred maintenance is that list of “Honey-do’s” that has been stuck to the fridge and growing. Some things get slowly checked off as time goes on, but the list is always there. This is just a fact of home ownership.

Deferred maintenance is:

Fixing screw holes
Fixing that missing piece of baseboard
Ripped window screens
Jiggly doorknobs
Any rot in the siding, deck or fascia.

Also, take the time to check all the caulking around your countertops, sinks, bath/shower - it’s amazing what a difference re-caulking those cracks can make.

I highly recommend this product! If you are fixing any trim or baseboards, putting this along the crack finishes it right off. It’s easy to use and makes a HUGE difference.

3. Make a deep clean list

Baseboards, windows, window screens, baseboard heaters, crown molding, kitchen cabinets, fridge, oven, microwave, heat pumps - the list goes on.

If there are carpets in your house, plan for a weekend to move furniture, rent a machine like “Rug Doctor,” and get those carpets super clean.

One thing that can be easily over looked is having the siding of the house cleaned. You will be surprised how much surface dirt builds up on your house over time.

4&5. Pre-packing & Purging

Seasonal gear
Extra linens
Off season clothing
Very personal items (family photos, special memorabilia, heirlooms)
Fixtures that you DO NOT WANT included in the sale
- If the chandelier above your dining table is a family heirloom and you don’t want it included in the sale, take it down ahead of time and put in a simple replacement. If the buyers never see it, they will never get attached to it.
If you have kids, pre-packing some of their toys can seem like a daunting process. When we moved, we packed away about half of their toys. We kept out items that are very open-ended in play (i.e. blocks, cars, play kitchen) and packed everything else away.

As you are already looking at things that you don’t need for the next several weeks/months, it is a good time to evaluate if you need items at all? Take this time of processing your belongings as a time to purge unwanted, broken, or toys that drive you BONKERS!!! We “lost” a box or 2 of toys in the move so there are some toys that just never made it to the new house. If they asked about a specific toy, we lost a box and that was it.

For us, our youngest was soon to be 2 so we took this opportunity to rid ourselves of the 2 cribs that had been fixtures in our house for the 5 years prior. We also got rid of all of the baby toys, baby clothes, baby blankets…you get the point. We donated a lot of these items to the local family resource centre so that they could be distributed to families in need.

6. Make a Plan

Both my husband and I have experience in project management. So when I put our tasks into a spreadsheet, organized by room and with due dates, he didn’t bat an eye and just rolled with it.

There are 2 strategies that could be utilized when making a plan:

Completing room by room. You completing finish one room at a time before you move on to the next.
Completing all the same task in every room at once. All the wall patching gets done, then painting, then cleaning, and so on.

How you choose to move through the process is entirely up to you. A great way to keep track of everything is post-its on the wall by the door of each room. Put every task on its own sticky note and when you complete a task in that room, take down that sticky note and move on.

7. Think ahead to the future.

If you are planning a move, think about what you loved about your house. Also - what drove you crazy?? This will help you figure out what you are looking for in your next house.

Often, people move houses when they are entering a new season of life. Maybe your next home needs more or less space. Maybe you want more green space outside or you want to be in a condo. Is it the part of town that you loved or is pushing you to a new home?

By remembering what you loved and disliked about your home, this will help you narrow in on what you want your next home to provide for you. What you loved about the home can also help your REALTOR® - they can use that information when they are marketing your home.

There are many more steps that you can take to start to prepare you home for sale. Reach out and we can set up a consultation time to discuss your property - you can also book this easily by clicking on the “Let’s Chat” button at the top of the page.

If you are planning a move this spring, then asking “What your property is worth?” is a great starting point. There are many more steps that you can take to ensure that you get top dollar for your house, and from staging to sold, I’m here to help.

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7 Things you can do NOW to prepare for the Spring Market