Selling Your Home? Be Ready to Spring into Spring
LOUISIANA REALTORS • March 12, 2018
After a strange winter that was actually filled with snow, ice, and frigid temperatures; spring is being welcomed even more than usual, and not just for baseball games and crawfish boils. Warm temperatures and sunshine aside, this is the time of the year when prospective homebuyers come out of hibernation. If you are planning on selling your home, this is the time of the year to make sure it is ready to be shown, and ready to shine. Here are 5 tips for preparing your home for a spring sale.
Take Care of Small Repairs and Maintenance
While you have a home inspection done before any sale is finalized, it’s a good idea to take care of some of the more minor repairs you may have been putting off before your house goes on the market. If a prospective buyer notices something small, it can give them the impression that there are larger issues looming. Tightening knobs and handles, replacing light bulbs, and fixing a small leak can all pay major dividends.
Clean the Outside of Your Home
Curb appeal is a major factor when it comes to selling your home. This will be the first and most important impression for anyone considering purchasing your home. Cleaning out your gutters, pressure washing, and adding a fresh coat of paint are well helpful ways to ensure you put your best foot forward.
Address Your Landscaping
Likewise, the landscaping
around your home can be a great visual enhancement. Seed any bare spots in your lawn, keep it freshly mowed, trim bushes, weed, and plant some fresh, bright flowers.
Update and Refresh Your Front Door
Make your front door pop. Adding a fresh coat of paint, possibly a color that compliments and contrasts with the rest of your home, and replacing old and worn out door numbers can make for an inviting entrance.
De-clutter and De-personalize
Buyers want to be able to visualize their stuff in your home. You can make this easier by de-cluttering and de-personalizing as much as possible. Not only will this make the space appear bigger, but it will easily allow visitors to mentally envision this home as theirs. Removing any knickknacks, photos, refrigerator magnets, and other items like excess and bulky furniture can go a long way in selling your home.
CONTACT US
Lastly, once these and other items are taken care of, hire a REALTOR®. Your REALTOR® will make sure your best interests are protected, as well provide great insight, expertise, and resources for the sale of your home.
Louisiana’s 2026 Regular Session opened this week with several developments that matter directly to REALTORS ®, property managers and housing providers, alongside some broader political shifts worth watching. HB 292: Security Deposit Return Timelines Rep. Delisha Boyd’s HB 292, which addresses procedures for returning residential security deposits, was heard in committee but deferred to next week. This provides additional time for stakeholders to engage with members on practical impacts for lease administration, move out inspections and documentation standards. We’ll continue working to ensure any changes to deposit law are clear, workable and do not expose housing providers to unreasonable liability. Land Use and Development: St. James Parish Decision The Louisiana Supreme Court’s recent St. James Parish decision significantly tightens the standards for overturning local land use decisions, reinforcing that zoning and permitting authority rests with parish and municipal governments as long as their decisions are not arbitrary or capricious. For real estate and development, that means more predictability if projects are aligned with adopted plans and ordinances, but also higher stakes in local elections, planning processes and parish-level negotiations. Governor’s State of the State In his State of the State address, Governor Jeff Landry reiterated his push to phase out the state income tax, expand the LA GATOR and MJ Foster scholarship and workforce programs, and replace vehicle inspection stickers with a QR code system. While some of these proposals are controversial, they frame a debate around long-term competitiveness, workforce readiness and household cost of living which are all key drivers of housing demand and migration patterns. Business & Market Trends The business community is focusing the session on insurance, workforce and energy. Commercial and property insurance costs remain a top concern for employers and property owners, and we are monitoring civil justice and insurance reform proposals that could affect market stability and availability. At the same time, Louisiana is seeing more than $100 billion in announced industrial and data center projects, which could reshape local markets, labor conditions and housing needs in multiple regions of the state. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.
Learn how Louisiana real estate regulations, disclosure laws, and licensing standards help protect homebuyers and create safer, more transparent transactions.
Nominations are open now through April 24, 2026, for the Louisiana REALTORS® 2025 REALTOR® of the Year & the 2025 Lawrence R. DeMarcay, Jr. Distinguished Service Award. Both awards are aimed to showcase an individual who has volunteered their time in service to the real estate industry. Recipients of the awards will be recognized during the Spring Legislative Conference. (Registration coming soon!) Please see the below links with the selection criteria and consider submitting a nomination today. Contact Donna Teekel at (225) 224-0704 or dteekel@larealtors.org with any questions.
