“Insiders” know the Cincinnati spring housing market begins next week shortly after New Year’s celebrations.

However many sellers think about putting their property up for sale in “the spring” which usually means March or April.  And even though the it seems a long way off, it’s time to begin “spring cleaning” your house or condo now- so it’s ready for sale by March.  It’s hard hard get enthused about spring when we’re wearing gloves and coats as the local Cincinnati temperatures dip.

But if you’re thinking about selling, spring cleaning is an opportunity to prep your Cincinnati home for the market. Unfortunately many home owners wait until it’s time to sell before cleaning and fixing things around the house. And in today’s real estate market-if you want it to sell a property- everything needs to be in spic-and-span condition. So even though you’re not putting your house on the market today take a good look inside and outside and start the spring fix up now.

The double duty “spring cleaning” list:

• Painting interior woodwork. Take a close look at wood trim and if it looks beat- patch and paint.  Then check wall paint for wear and tear- spruce it up!
• Replace/repair slightly leaky faucets.  If you hired a plumber to change faucets -get your money’s worth by checking slow draining tubs, inoperable sink stoppers, gas piping in fireplace and the overall health of plumbing system.
• Green decks and small patches of wood rot on exterior trim raise buyer’s alarm bells- walk around the exterior with a critical eye. Make a check list of “to do’s” and tackle as soon as weather allows.
• Check the sump pump.
• Make sure all the downspouts and gutters are cleared.
• Good time to sort out clothes to donate. Helps those in need and reduces the closet clutter.
• Check caulking inside and outside. Make sure bathrooms and kitchens are sealed then check the outside windows and door frames.
• And finally on a nice day, haul everything out of the garage (toss and/or donate half of it) sweep and power wash the floor and admire the clean garage for 30 minutes.

The couple extra steps to take care of the “fixables” will save time and money when you decide to put out the “for sale’ sign. Typically homeowners let things slide for lots of good reasons but the cost of fixing or replacing everything at once can be very very expensive- so take the next few months to budget time and expenses.

Finally if you are seriously thinking about putting your property on the market talk to your agent before you waste money on HGTV upgrades that don’t add value when selling.

Whether your spring housing market kicks off on January 2nd or March 1st- now is the time to begin the prep work.