In Georgia, we are truly blessed when spring arrives.
The first hint is when the Bradford pear trees blossom. If you see a pretty white tree in front of your house in a few weeks, it’s probably a Bradford pear. (My good friend Walter Reeves hates Bradford pears, claiming they are an invasive species. I neither know nor care about that.)
In any case, as we approach March 1, the days will get sunnier and longer, and Braves spring training will begin soon.
And as night must follow day, home buyers will begin to climb out from their frozen cocoons, hungry to buy a house just like yours.
If you wait until March 1 to get ready, you may miss the hottest part of the spring selling season. Here are some things you should be thinking about right now to get a quick sale this spring
1. Hire a lawn firm to overseed your lawn and make it green in 2 to 3 weeks.
I can’t tell you the exact day to aerate and plant, but your county agent can. Most garden centers have at least one plant expert, and trust me, he or she would LOVE to talk with you about your yard.
Start sprucing up now to have a visually attractive yard in March, and take lots of pictures when it comes to fruition.
2. Shoot a video of your house inside and out.
It’s a very good idea for you to have available a relatively recent video of the condition and contents of your house, including exterior and all interior rooms and basement and attic. Open and video all containers, closets, and drawers and record the contents. That way, in the unlikely event you have a meteorite (or anything else) destroy your home, you can easily prove what you lost. Then put it on YouTube and don’t store the video in your house — if the video is destroyed as well, it’s worthless.
This exercise will also reveal areas of your home where clutter has taken over. Before you plan to let any prospective buyer into your home, clean out all closets, rid rooms of excess or oversize furniture, and make your kitchen counters sparkle.
And if the reason they are sparkling is that they have gold flecks in the laminate left over from 1951, plan now to replace your countertops before March 1.
3. Perform a maintenance review.
It’s smart to ask a friend or relative to join you for a walk around your house and your yard.
You should be looking for anything that might be dangerous to anyone. Look for uneven surfaces, loose rugs, poorly supported decks, steps without adequate handrails or lighting, and on and on.
You are also looking for signs of deferred maintenance so you can them fixed now.
The best example I could find at my house is a volunteer tree sprouting from my gutter at an inconveniently high location. From the ground, I think it’s only about 18 inches tall, but it sends a bad message to prospective buyers about my commitment to maintenance of the property.
Trust me, it’s much better to recognize these issues now and correct them than to wait and arouse suspicion on the part of your buyer.
4. Clean all windows inside and out.
This was a habit that my grandmother had, and she always made it part of her spring cleaning every year. At about age 13, I (unwittingly) became the designated window cleaner, and each completed pane had to pass her personal inspection.
At the time, I didn’t understand how important a truly clean window is, but I dare you to try it and examine some of your windows side-by-side. This is a worthwhile investment.
5. Clean out your basement.
Whether you have a full or partial basement, I don’t have to tell you that it tends to collect your stuff. I guess we all collect stuff.
Self storage facility companies have made billions on the human tendency to gather stuff.
My point is this: a prospective buyer does not want to see your stuff. Instead, he wants to know (and see) that there is plenty of room for his own stuff. And if your stuff is jamming up the basement, it causes a mental conflict in the buyer’s mind.
Don’t ever let that happen. Get rid of your stuff now!
6. Perform a termite review.
Call a reputable pest control operator and ask for a free visual inspection for wood destroying organisms. Don’t be worried today about “previous damage.” Instead, ask the inspector to prove that you have an “active infestation” before you pay for any treatment. That means you want to see a living, breathing termite before you part with your cash.
Well, I’ve worn myself out with these responsible recommendations, and now I still have more than 27 full-sized windows, each with at least 12 panes, that need to be cleaned, inside and out.
Any volunteers?
Atlanta native John Adams is a veteran real estate broker, investor, and author. He answers real estate questions every Sunday at 11 am on WGKA-am(920). He welcomes your comments and questions at Money99.com, where you will find an expanded video version of this column.
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