“Even though buyers have air conditioning in their cars, you have to convince them to get into their cars — then out of their cars — to check places out,” Brad Knapp, a National Association of REALTORS® regional vice president, told The Street.
Here are four showing tips for the hot weather, according to Knapp in a recent article at The Street.
1. Keep it cool. It’s not the time to penny-pinch on the air conditioning. Knapp says home owners without central air conditioning will be at a big disadvantage, and he says they might even consider keeping their home off the market until the cooler days of fall. As for home owners who do have central air, he recommends keeping the thermostat around 72 degrees.
2. Watch the smell. The warm weather can cause odors in the home to become even stronger, such as pet smells and musty basements, Knapp says. Have your sellers remove the kitty litter box, relocate the pets for showings, and clean any musty basements with bleach. He also recommends using a dehumidifer to make sure the home stays dry.
3. Tend to the lawn. Curb appeal is important but Knapp acknowledges it can be a challenge in sizzling hot weather and when a city has water restrictions in place. “Try to keep the front yard as green as possible — but you can forget about the backyard if you have to,” he says. “Most buyers are astute enough to know that if all of the backyards up and down the street are brown, there really isn’t a problem if yours is too.”
4. Pay attention to doors and windows. Front doors can be filled with summer pollen so make sure your sellers give it a nice clean at least once a week, Knapp suggests. He also suggests regularly cleaning the windows — both the inside and out — to make sure they sparkle.
Source: “8 Tips for Selling a Home in Summer,” The Street (July 20, 2012)
