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7 Ways to Prepare Your Home for the Spring Selling Season
Spring is traditionally an active time in real estate, which means homeowners thinking about selling may also be wondering: What should I do to my house before I put it on the market?
The answer usually isn’t “renovate everything.”
Preparing a home for sale is about figuring out which improvements will help the property show its best—and which projects probably aren’t worth your time or money.
If you’re considering selling a home in San Jose this spring, here are seven places I’d start.
1. Take a Fresh Look at Your Curb Appeal
Walk across the street and look at your house as though you’ve never seen it before.
What catches your attention?
Trim overgrown landscaping, clean up garden beds, remove debris and take care of anything that makes the exterior look neglected. Depending on the property, power washing walkways or exterior surfaces and touching up peeling paint can also make a noticeable difference.
Pay particular attention to the front door and entryway. Buyers will spend time there while waiting to enter the home, so this small area deserves some extra attention.
You don’t necessarily need expensive new landscaping. Clean, maintained and intentional can go a long way.
2. Declutter and Deep Clean
Before you start shopping for new furniture or décor, start by removing things.
Too much furniture can make rooms feel smaller, while crowded countertops and shelves can distract from the home’s features.
Pack away items you don’t regularly use and organize closets, cabinets and storage areas. You’re going to be packing eventually anyway, so consider this a head start.
Then tackle the deep cleaning: windows, baseboards, flooring, light fixtures, vents and all those places that are easy to overlook when you’re living in a home every day.
3. Make the Most of Your Home’s Light
Natural light can have a big impact on how a home feels and photographs.
Clean the windows, open blinds and curtains and remove anything unnecessarily blocking the light.
If you have very heavy window coverings, consider whether something simpler would showcase the windows more effectively.
This is also a good time to look at your paint. You don’t automatically need to repaint every colorful room, but damaged, heavily marked or particularly dark walls may be worth addressing depending on the home and your target market.
4. Address Noticeable Repairs
You know that dripping faucet you’ve been meaning to fix?
Before listing is a good time to handle it.
Look for loose hardware, damaged paint, doors that don’t close correctly, missing caulk, broken fixtures and other visible maintenance items.
For larger issues involving the roof, HVAC, plumbing, electrical system or other major components, talk with your real estate agent about your options before automatically spending thousands of dollars.
Some repairs make sense before listing. Others may be better handled differently depending on the property and current market.
5. Stage the Home Strategically
Staging isn’t about filling a home with trendy furniture. It’s about helping buyers clearly understand the space.
Furniture placement can emphasize room size, traffic flow and architectural features. Sometimes that means rearranging what you already own. Sometimes it means removing furniture. And in other cases, professional staging may make sense.
Features such as a fireplace, large kitchen island, built-ins or indoor-outdoor living areas should be easy to see rather than hidden behind furniture or décor.
The property should be the star of the photos—not the stuff inside it.
6. Build a Pricing Strategy Based on the Current Market
Pricing is one of the most important parts of preparing a home for sale.
Your asking price shouldn’t be based solely on what a neighbor’s home sold for six months ago, an online estimate or the amount you’d ideally like to receive.
A strong pricing strategy considers recent comparable sales, current competing listings, pending sales, property condition, location, inventory and current buyer activity.
The market can also vary significantly between neighborhoods and price ranges. What’s happening in Willow Glen may not be identical to what’s happening in Almaden, Cambrian or another part of San Jose.
That’s why I like to look at the data for the specific property and its competitive market before recommending a list price.
7. Have Your Marketing Ready Before You Go Live
Putting a home into the MLS shouldn’t be the beginning of the marketing process.
The preparation should happen first.
That may include professional photography, video, property-specific marketing materials, online promotion and a strategy for exposing the listing to prospective buyers and real estate professionals.
Your online presentation is especially important because, for many buyers, your home’s first showing happens on a screen.
By the time the listing goes live, the property should be ready to make that first impression.
What Should You Do Before Spending Money on Your Home?
This is the part I wish more sellers considered.
Talk to your agent before making major improvements specifically for resale.
You may be convinced you need a new kitchen when buyers in your particular market would respond just as well to new paint, updated lighting and professional staging.
Or there may be a repair that’s much more important than the cosmetic project you were planning.
Every home is different.
Before spending money, I like to look at the property, recent comparable sales and current competition and then prioritize the projects that make sense for that particular sale.
Thinking About Selling Your San Jose Home This Spring?
You don’t need to figure out everything before contacting a real estate agent.
In fact, I’d rather talk before you’ve painted, remodeled, replaced flooring or spent money preparing the house.
If you’re considering selling in San Jose, Willow Glen, Cambrian, Almaden, Japantown or the surrounding area, I can help you evaluate your property and put together a preparation, pricing and marketing plan based on your home and the current market.
Michelle Elliott
Coldwell Banker Realty
408-839-7915
DRE #01777533
GET YOUR FREE HOME SELLING BOOK
About the Author – Michelle Elliott
With over 20 years of experience navigating the fast-paced Silicon Valley market, I provide a strategic, results-driven approach to residential real estate. My career is built on a foundation of deep local expertise and a relentless commitment to my clients’ success, resulting in over $235 million in lifetime sales volume and a consistent ranking in the top 3% of agents in Santa Clara County and top 2% at Coldwell Banker. My expertise has been featured on KTVU Fox 2, Real Producers and the Willow Glen Resident. She is also the co-host of the San Jose Podcast “Say What You Want About Real Estate”
A Hyper-Local Expert with Global Reach
I specialize in San Jose, in the neighborhoods of Willow Glen (95125 & 95124) Cambrian Park and Almaden, Downtown San Jose/Japantown (95112) markets. As a certified Luxury Property Specialist with Coldwell Banker Realty, I combine high-end marketing strategies with granular neighborhood knowledge to help my clients achieve premium results.
The “Tiger” at the Negotiating Table
My clients have characterized me as a “tiger” at the negotiating table who remains “sweet and patient” with my clients throughout the process. I pride myself on being a fierce advocate for my buyers and sellers, ensuring the best possible terms in every transaction, and I strive to be the best Realtor in 95125! This balance, drive, and tenacity have earned me consistent 5-star ratings across Google, Zillow, Realtor.com, and Yelp.
Michelle Elliott
Michelle@michelleelliottrealtor.com
1712 Meridian Ave, Ste C, San Jose, CA
DRE 01777533
