Want to sell your East Bay Home? Get a FREE home value report
Want to buy an East Bay Home? Search all homes for sale
When it comes to real estate, spring starts in January.
You might already know spring is the hottest season in terms of home sales.
Home buyers come out in big numbers with a lot of pent up demand from the long winter months.
The numbers bear this out — homes sold in the spring sell 15 days faster and for about 2% more money than the average listing.
However, in order to make the most of the spring real estate rush, you have to start preparing now.
Today, I want to show you how to do that in four easy steps.
The first step is to find out what your home is worth.
Pricing your home correctly from the start will mean it sells more quickly. And homes that sell more quickly tend to sell for more.
To get an idea of the value of your home, check out the calculator on my site that takes into account recent East Bay sales.
You can also give me a call at (510) 500-5428 and I’ll give you an even more accurate estimate based on the unique characteristics of your home.
The second step is to decide the right time to list.
March through May is the peak season — but this is a very broad range.
A home's listing is viewed five times more on its first day than even one week later, so it’s important to get this exactly right.
In addition, the East Bay market has some quirks about the best time to list, depending on when you are hoping to close the sale.
If you’re thinking of selling, give me a call and I can give you specific recommendations for the perfect time to list your home.
Third, you'll want to maximize curb appeal.
The reason why is simple: 63% of home buyers will drop by a home they viewed and liked online.
Make sure you give them a good first impression by removing the lingering effects of winter.
Simple projects are often enough — pressure washing the outside, refreshing the landscaping, and cleaning the windows.
Occasionally, upgrades such as a paint job or roof repairs also make sense and can add thousands of dollars to the value of a home.
Finally, you have to prepare for the viewings.
Tidy up the inside of your home, declutter as much as possible, and start packing away non-essential things in anticipation of a sale.
And really, that’s it. By following these simple steps, you’ll be taking full advantage of the spring boom in the real estate market.
And if you need any advice — about pricing your home, about the best time to list, or about small projects that can bump up your sale price by 10% to 15% — just give me a call at (510) 500-5428. I'm here to help.
