With buyers clutching
tax refund checks and venturing out into nice weather to visit open houses, spring used to be the
agreed-upon best time to sell a home.Place the emphasis on "used to."While realtors agree some of
the season’s ideal factors are still in play, the cost of waiting until next year to sell may outweigh those
benefits.Home markets are turning around as the economy rebounds, and Bowling Green is no exception. Buyers
are slowly but surely shedding the nerves of purchasing property from underneath the shadow of
recession."People didn’t stop having kids, they didn’t stop needing larger houses, they didn’t stop
wanting different houses," said Andy Newlove of Newlove Realty. "That pent-up demand is a huge
factor."The average total of homes for sale in the city averages between 100 and 115 under normal
circumstances, but that figure fell as low as 60 recently due to residences flying off the figurative shelf.
Conversely, there were as many as 180 homes on the market at times between 2008 and 2010.The melting of
winter snows typically signals a flood of property for sale, so waiting to join in the rush leaves sellers
with more competition, Newlove said. But as things develop over the summer, the crowded market may become
more advantageous to the seller, as it is now.Newlove said this July’s property transfers are the best the
company has seen since 2007, with sales increasing by about 25 percent over the last two years since the
lowest point of the economic downturn.Interest rates are still "historically low," but Newlove
expects them to rise in coming years."It’s becoming a sellers’ market pretty quickly."While spring
is the "Super Bowl" of home sales, owners can avoid competition by listing in the fall, though the
threat of winter makes expediency more pressing, said Wendy Headley of A.A. Green Realty."With winter a
few months away, sellers in fall markets need to price their homes aggressively (and) have their homes
show-ready and staged, ready to impress those fall buyers in order to accomplish the sale. Buyers will be
limited in numbers in the fall market, but those fall buyers that are out there house hunting are usually
serious buyers."And while spring weather has its attraction, fall has its benefits as well. Fireplaces
can be turned on and showcased, with foliage often increasing curb appeal like greens do in the
spring."Fall can be one of the loveliest times of the year to highlight a home’s features,"
Headley said.For those ready to take the plunge, tips for getting a home ready for sale include:• Focus on
the little things: light bulbs should be working, counters free of clutter and the exterior without chipped
paint. A new welcome mat can go a long way to making a solid first impression, and if a potential buyer sees
an obvious problem, they’ll wonder what else they don’t see.• Think of yourself as a buyer: what would you
look for and what may dissuade you from purchasing a home being shown to you are questions to consider.•
Consider a showing or open house as a "job interview" for a home: like a clean, white shirt, fresh
paint and clean carpet push a positive image of your home. Also, upgrades should be complete. Nothing turns
off a buyer quite like picturing a significant problem that would need to be addressed soon after their
purchase.