Spring is often the busiest period of real estate activity in the year. And it makes sense because of the warm weather and the number of buyers actively searching for a new home during the season. But with all that comes competition, and the fact that you'll need to put in a bit of extra effort to showcase your property in the best light. Our REALTORS® share these spring selling tips to make your stand out in a crowded market

• Create Curb Appeal
  Since the walkway, lawn, shrubs, and front are seen first, you want to put some extra effort into making these areas look as good as you can. Keeping the outside tidy, well-kept, and inviting will make buyers want to see the inside of your home. It's important to tidy your yard, fix dead or bald patches in the grass, keep the grass cut, maintain flowers and shrubs, clean up plants' pots, and edge along sidewalks. If you don't have any plants or flowers, it would be nice to get some because almost everyone likes flowers.

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Our REALTORS® around Long Island know it's those finishing touches that help sell a home. You may have everything going for you — great location, reasonable price, and good southern or eastern light — but a glimpse of the basement could be sending potential buyers elsewhere.

While the current state of your basement may turn off potential buyers, the good news is that it's not that hard to transform it from an eyesore to a major selling point. Even if your home's not on the market and you just want to enjoy some extra space in your basement, it probably won't take that much effort to make things livable and lovable downstairs. 

Here are some tips to start you thinking about your basement as a blank canvas where you can make your artistic vision take form.

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Between 20 and 30 percent of homebuyers report that they attend open houses to assist with their homebuying efforts. Our REALTORS® can help you prepare your home to sell and arrange an open house to showcase your home.

When preparing for an open house, it's easy to focus only on the main spaces in your home. However, to ensure buyers see everything your home has to offer, you need to make sure that every room is ready for scrutiny. Check out some of the rooms commonly overlooked by homeowners preparing to sell their homes.

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Television used to tell us what a smart home would look like: talking assistants, automatic stoves, voice-operated music, and motion-sensing lighting. While our current homes may not be quite how Hollywood envisioned, many of these items are actually available today to upgrade your smart home environment—and buyers want them.

Our REALTORS® are here to help you discover five smart home updates that can help your home sell in 2020.

• Video Doorbells
  There are multiple brands of video doorbells on the market now, and these tiny powerhouses of security can often be found on sale or special promotion. These digital doorbell/security systems are in-demand for homebuyers and even considered standard in many markets. A good video doorbell will allow a homeowner to remotely interact with a package person, record and sense motion near your entry day and night, and allow you to view and upload suspicious videos to a cloud community or police report.

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When you're selling your home, photographs play a large part in attracting potential buyers. Winter can be a difficult time to take appealing photos as everything can look darker and drearier. Instead of colorful spring flowers, you may have piles of snow in your yard.

Our agents have experience selling homes in the winter and suggest the following tips for doing winter listing photography right:

• Use winter decorations wisely
  Winter decorations can brighten up the inside and outside of your home for photographs. Keep things understated and attractive, since potential buyers will want to be able to imagine themselves in your home. Don't have too much personal décor inside, and tone things down a bit outside. A wreath on the door, garland on the mantle, and twinkling clear lights on the roof or shrubbery can add festive yet tasteful touches. Think Martha Stewart, not Clark Griswold!

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