Selling in Spring: Tips on Preparing Your Denver Home to Sell

Spring is the home buying and selling season in Colorado, with May through June being the ideal months to put your home on the market. The Colorado housing market is hotter than ever and this year is expected to be highly competitive. Planning ahead and prepping your home in advance will save your sanity and ensure a smooth and successful transaction. Here are a few tips to help you prepare your Denver home for that spring sale:

• Start on those home improvements 

The last thing you want to complicate your home sale is a long list of items the buyers want to be fixed before you close. Take time now to ‘audit’ your home through the lens of a new buyer. Document the items that you would want to have fixed before purchasing and make a plan to have those things fixed before you list. 

This is also a great time to think about home improvements that could add value to your home. You’d be surprised how a fresh coat of white paint or new kitchen cabinets can drive up your home’s price  –  often much more than the cost of materials and labor combined!

• Find the right agent

With so many agents and brokerages out there, it’s important to spend time interviewing agents to learn about their experience in your market. You want to work with an agent who will have your best interests in mind, and be a solid partner throughout the transaction. 

You should also inquire about commission rates before you enter into an agreement. Most sellers don’t realize that commission rates are negotiable, and in a seller’s market such as Denver where homes are selling in record time, you don’t want to pay more than you need to. 

There are flat-fee brokerages out there that might make more sense for you and your situation. Do your homework and keep your hard-earned equity for styling your new home!

• Have a staging plan

To get top dollar for your home, make it as appealing as possible to a wide variety of potential buyers. While spending time fixing things will help you ensure a relatively smooth transaction, taking time to style your home will maximize its curbside and walk-through appeal and pay off at the closing table.

Start by eliminating clutter. Walk around your house with a critical eye and identify anything that isn’t essential. Think: kitchen magnets, personal keepsakes, countertop appliances, and photos. Presenting a neutral, well-organized home allows buyers to more easily imagine how their things would look in the space while also getting a clearer picture of the home’s design. This also helps make the space look larger than it is, and seemingly a better value for the money.

Another important factor is light. Make sure your blinds and curtains are open for all inspections and that the windows and doors are as clean as possible. This will help the space seem bigger and elevate the mood of potential buyers when they’re doing a walk-through.

While selling a home can be a stressful time for families, with a little bit of preparation you can reduce the stress and pave the way for a very successful transaction. Happy Spring, and happy selling!

Melissa Millan is the General Manager of Homie Colorado, a real estate brokerage changing the way real estate is bought and sold by eliminating high fees and commissions and streamlining the process. To learn more, visit www.homie.com/Colorado. In partnership with Mile High Mamas.

Author: Mile High Mamas