Spring is finally here, what many regard as the silly season of real estate as homes generally sell like hot cakes. The perception that it’s the best time to put your home on the market is widespread throughout Australasia.

The general belief is that the birds, bees, greenery and warmer weather draw potential buyers out from their winter hibernation and reinvigorates their property search. However, it would seem that despite the colder conditions in recent months, property buyers have been far from dormant.

Statistics from CoreLogic RP Data show that the 2015 winter property market auction results were the hottest on record, surpassing 26,500. Furthermore, in the concluding weeks leading to spring, both the volume and clearance rates of auctions around Australia have been on the rise.

History shows that during the warmer months both supply and demand of real estate in Australia increases considerably, but often it is still the sellers who hold the power. Spring is now here, but are you prepared? Here are a few tips for marketing your property for sale this season.

Tidy up

This is perhaps one of the simplest and definitely cheapest ways to make your home look more attractive to the hordes of potential buyers. The Real Estate Institute of South Australia (REISA) said it best when they asserted “there’s no second chance to make a first impression”.

No doubt after living in your home for an extended period of time, you’ve amassed quite a few personal possessions. A good way of reducing the clutter in and around your property is to start moving your things out prior to putting it on the market.

Removing the personal effects from your property can allow prospective buyers to feel more at home there, not to mention making your closets and cupboards more roomy! Friends, relatives or a temporary storage facility can take care of your redundant treadmill, record collection, trampoline and kilograms of family photos.

Clean up

With a nice and tidy home, you can now focus on the cleaning. With such heat in the market, it’s important that your home is immaculate to set it apart. Among other tasks, REISA recommends you:

• Clean all the windows
• Wash the curtains and/or blinds
• Have the carpets professionally cleaned
• Polish all tap fittings and door knobs
• Pay particular attention to the kitchen and bathrooms

Following these guidelines can make a huge difference to your home, while only requiring a bit of elbow grease (except for the carpet clean).

The outside

Figures from CoreLogic RP Data have revealed that around Australia over the last year, houses for sale below $400,000 have been at a record low while sales above $1million have been at a record high. If you want to find yourself in the former statistic, it’s important that you attend to your home’s facade.

Put your landscaping hat on and pull out the weeds, mow the lawns and plant some new flowers to add some colour and vitality.

A lick of paint can be an extremely cost-effective way of rejuvenating your home’s curbside appeal. According to Property Observer, a paint job for an average home’s exterior will cost around $1,200 if you use a professional – even cheaper if you do it yourself.

Use a real estate agent

The competition in the property market is likely to be fierce, with a plethora of homes for sale as buyers and sellers alike spring into action. Having a real estate agent can help you stand out from the crowd, as they can help determine an appropriate value for your home, a method of selling, as well as offer insights on the local market.

On top of this, they can establish your target audience and the best ways to reach them. For example, if your property is deemed most suitable for millennials, they may decide to use a video blog post.

Peter Chidgey, Ray White Windsor