{"id":5432,"date":"2025-02-13T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-13T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/13\/the-secret-to-selling-this-spring-start-the-prep-work-now\/"},"modified":"2025-02-13T11:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T11:30:00","slug":"the-secret-to-selling-this-spring-start-the-prep-work-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/13\/the-secret-to-selling-this-spring-start-the-prep-work-now\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secret To Selling This Spring: Start the Prep Work Now"},"content":{"rendered":"<body>\n<div><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250213-The-Secret-To-Selling-This-Spring-Start-the-Prep-Work-Now-original.png?w=1220&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The Secret To Selling This Spring: Start the Prep Work Now Simplifying The Market\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear: both; max-width: 100%;\">\n<p>Spring is the busiest season in the housing market. It\u2019s the time of year when buyers are most active \u2013 that means it\u2019s when homes sell faster and for top dollar. If you\u2019ve already got a move on your mind, why not list this spring and take advantage of the added <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2025\/2\/11\/a-record-percent-of-buyers-are-planning-to-move-in-2025-are-you\/?a=783612-02a11606fc81d6a6e402d49bc5bfe20b\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">buyer demand<\/a>? <\/p>\n<p>Since spring is just around the corner, now\u2019s the time to start getting your house market-ready. You\u2019ve got just over a month to do the prep work. And while that may sound like a decent amount of time, it\u2019s going to go by quickly. And you won\u2019t want to rush through this important task \u2013 especially this year. <\/p>\n<h4><strong>The Right Repairs Will Matter More This Spring<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Right now, two things are true. There are more homes on the market than there have been in years. And buyers are being extra selective. That combination means you need to invest some time and effort in making <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2025\/2\/5\/the-3-biggest-mistakes-sellers-are-making-right-now\/?a=783612-02a11606fc81d6a6e402d49bc5bfe20b\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">strategic repairs<\/a>. And many homeowners already have a jump on this work. <\/p>\n<p>In the <em>2025 Outlook for Home Remodeling<\/em>, Carlos Martin, Director of the Remodeling Futures Program at the <em>Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University<\/em>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jchs.harvard.edu\/press-releases\/modest-gains-2025-outlook-home-remodeling\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">explains<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201c. . . homeowners are slowly but surely expanding the pace and scope of projects compared to the last couple years.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And the most common projects they\u2019re tackling are replacing water heaters, HVAC units, and flooring. Energy efficiency is a key consideration too, based on home improvement <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/library\/visualizations\/2024\/demo\/home-improvements.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">data<\/a> from the <em>Census.<\/em><\/p>\n<h4><strong>What To Prioritize as You Plan Ahead<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>But just because that\u2019s what other homeowners are doing, it doesn\u2019t mean that\u2019s what you have to tackle. Think about what you\u2019d want to see if you were a buyer. Focus on quick wins that are easy to knock out with the time you have \u2013 but, don\u2019t ignore key repairs, especially ones you think could turn off buyers. <\/p>\n<p>While big-ticket items like replacing an old roof or outdated flooring may seem daunting, they can pay off \u2013 especially if you focus on projects with the best return on investment (ROI). <\/p>\n<p>An agent\u2019s expertise is key in narrowing down your list to what\u2019s actually worth it. They know what buyers in your area want and they also have data like this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jlconline.com\/cost-vs-value\/2024\/key-trends-in-the-2024-cost-vs-value-report\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">report<\/a> from <em>Zonda <\/em>to guide you on which updates have the best ROI<em> <\/em>(<em>see green in the graph below<\/em>):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250213-Renovation-Projects-with-the-Highest-ROI-original.png?ssl=1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250213-Renovation-Projects-with-the-Highest-ROI-original.png?w=1220&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"a graph of blue and green bars\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a>That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to talk to a local real estate agent before you dive into any repairs. <em>Bankrate<\/em> puts it best:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cAs a seller, it\u2019s smart to be prepared and control whatever factors you\u2019re able to. Things like hiring a great real estate agent and maximizing your home\u2019s online appeal can translate into a smoother sale \u2014 and more money in the bank.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>It\u2019s not too early to partner with an agent. By starting now, you\u2019ve still got time to space out the work and find any contractors you need to get the job done. If you wait until spring to roll up your sleeves, you risk running out of time \u2013 and that means your house may be overshadowed by others who are more buyer-ready.<\/p>\n<h3>Bottom Line<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re planning to sell this spring, it\u2019s time to start tackling your to-do list. But, before you get started, connect with an agent. That way you can make sure you\u2019re spending your time and budget on projects that\u2019ll pay off in the long run. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Send an agent a list of what\u2019s on your to-do list, so you can prioritize them together.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spring is the busiest season in the housing market. It\u2019s the time of year when buyers are most active \u2013 that means it\u2019s when homes sell faster and for top dollar. If you\u2019ve already got a move on your mind, why not list this spring and take advantage of the added buyer demand? Since spring [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5433,"comment_status":"registered_only","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12],"tags":[29,27,20,18,28],"class_list":["post-5432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate-insight","tag-idaho-real-estate","tag-north-idaho-homes","tag-rain-silverhawk","tag-real-estate","tag-sandpoint-idaho"],"aioseo_notices":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250213-The-Secret-To-Selling-This-Spring-Start-the-Prep-Work-Now-original.png?fit=750%2C410&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdz2Zu-1pC","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}