While I can not make COVID-19 go away, I can say “goodbye and good riddance” to it and “hello to springtime” – which is the best time to sell your home.

It’s true, spring is probably the best season to sell your home. During the months of March, April and May, the inventory of homes for sale usually rises, as the largest number of buyers begin actively searching for a new home.

If your home has been on the market since the holidays, it might make sense to take it off the market for a couple of weeks, spruce it up for spring, and then put it back on the market.

I mention that, because buyers might not want to look at homes that have been on the market for many months. Additionally, if a home was marketed and staged to sell in the winter, it might have to be marketed and staged differently to sell in the spring.

Here are some things to do to make your home stand out from the springtime competition:

• Make your home interior sparkle and shine. Wash the windows, polish the mirrors, let the sunlight in and do spring cleaning to make your home more inviting.

• Showcase the landscaping. Clean the yard, trim the bushes, cut the tree limbs, and tidy up the lawn to show off the exterior of your home.

• Beautify your home exterior. Remove debris from the roof, clean the gutters, and power wash the driveway for a favorable (outside) first impression.

• Set out attractive, fresh-smelling flowers. Buyers like colorful flowers that suggest the first signs of spring (especially after a long Lowcountry winter). Psychologically, yellow flowers create feelings of happiness.

• Clean and polish the floors. A high gloss on your hard floors makes a lasting impression as does sparkling ceramic and clean, attractive carpeting.

• Use lighter accent colors. Soft spring colors for linens, throws, towels and pillows will lighten and brighten a room.

• Use full-color flyers and professional photography. If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, make sure your print and online advertising is as attractive as it can be – and then flaunt it!

There are many additional things that you can do to make your home for sale sparkle and shine, and most real estate agents will be able to tell you what they are.

Larry Stoller is a broker and Realtor with Real Estate Five of the Lowcountry. Larry@RealEstateFive.com, RealEstateFive.com, SunCityOpenHouses247.com