Spring is in the air! And soon there will be the hum of lawnmowers and newly bloomed flowers. Spring is also an opportunity at a fresh start in a fresh, new home.

If you're looking to sell your home and start over somewhere else, you likely want to see that sale happen as quickly as possible. After all, it isn't easy to be paying two mortgages at once! You might also be counting on the proceeds of the sale to help make a down payment on your new home.

Read on for 14 fantastic tricks to get your home into the hands of its new owners as swiftly as possible.

1.) Choose the right agent

Do your research before hiring a realtor. Your broker should have an excellent track record that includes lots of recent sales, being updated on the latest market trends and knowing how to use technology to get the word out about your house. Ask for references and credentials before making a decision.

Making the decision to become a homeowner is emotionally and financially complex. Here are some key things to ask yourself if you're considering whether buying is right for you.

Do you have a good reason to buy?

Sometimes switching from renting to buying is a no-brainer.  Maybe you live in a modern one-bedroom apartment in a chic part of town, but you have a baby on the way. If you want a place in a good school district, with more square footage and a yard, buying may well be your best bet.

There's not much in life that is more freeing than finally paying off a large bill.  Suddenly, our checking accounts are flush; the future feels more open, and even our favorite jeans seem to fit better.  When it comes to a mortgage, of course, that seems so far down the road it's difficult to imagine, particularly for those just starting out.  If you've always paid rent or a mortgage, it just kind of feels like that bill is always there, the background noise of your life.

Q: I'm hoping to buy a house in the next few months. How much of a down payment should I have saved up?

When you're making improvements to your home, you're not just making your life better in the short term. You're also making an investment in your future. Ideally, the increase in the value of your home will exceed the cost of the improvement.

Except for Veterans Administration loans and Rural Development loans, it still generally takes some cash up front to get into a home. How much cash you’ll be required to have up front depends on the type of mortgage (whether FHA or conventional) and your personal financial situation. The better your credit, though, the lower the down payment the lender may expect.

A couple of months ago I decided to put new hardware on my kitchen cabinets. (Probably as a result of watching too many home decorating shows on HGTV!) When I bought my house in the mid ‘90s, brass colored fixtures were all the rage; in 2014 they just look dated. I went online, ordered a couple dozen new nickel-colored knobs, and my kitchen had a whole new look. The difference is amazing and it cost me less than $40 and just a couple hours of my time.