Selling your home in the summer can call for a little more finesse than most people expect. While spring is the absolute best time to put your home on the market, summer surprisingly trails in third behind fall. Many potential home buyers are simply too distracted between vacations, the kids being out of school and other seasonal priorities.
The good news is that the summer is still an excellent time to show your home and find the right buyer as long as you put in a little extra effort. Here are some tips that can increase your chances of closing even during the hottest months of the year:
Get Your Curb Appeal in Order
Spring has a habit of making any lawn look great since rains are abundant and vegetation appears to pop out of nowhere. Keeping those lawns and flowers beautiful for the next several months can be more of a trial, though.
Make sure you remove as many “clutter” plants as possible from your garden beds and yard in order to give your landscape a clean, organized appearance. Plant low-maintenance flowers like marigolds and impatiens to give your lawn a dash of color. Water your plants regularly, and give your grass a trim around once a week. Taking initiative like this keeps plants from dying or weeds from taking over.
Make Your Home Feel Breezy
Use only light curtains, and find ways to get windows open on days with mild temperatures. Ideally, you will want to keep your home cool without having to blast the air conditioner, which can feel unnatural. Turn on some ceiling fans, open some windows and rearrange furniture to encourage the flow of light and soothing breezes as people view your home.
Of course, feel free to keep the windows shut when it climbs above 25 degrees to prevent your home from feeling muggy rather than pleasant.
Stage the Outdoors
Your biggest asset during the summer is a lawn, porch or patio area that looks inviting. Get these outdoor areas as clean as a whistle and arrange some charming porch furniture to encourage home viewers to linger and enjoy the weather. You can also stage areas of your lawn with a garden fountain, flower beds, stepping stones and a well-placed bench as an effective display.
Be Flexible with Viewings
Another summertime asset are the long daylight hours. People with busy schedules may be more willing to show up around the evening considering the sun will still be out at the time. Be accommodating with these rather late appointments to boost your odds of warming a buyer up to the idea of a summer sale.
Strategies like these are sure to impress, but remember that only an experienced UBC real estate agent will be able to find an ideal buyer and pitch your home’s strengths to them in the best light possible. Visit our sellers page to discover just how valuable our agents can be when selling your home in the summertime.