Don’t
let any winter blues detour you from successfully selling your home! Many people believe that the housing market
goes on some sort of unintentional hold but, reality is quite the contrary. Winter may not be the most convenient time to
move but “homes listed between December and March sell faster than homes listed
in other months, and for more money” according to Redfin, a real estate company. People tend to escape the cold and go on
tropical trips and the blistering cold can make house hunting unappealing,
making the winter a challenging time to sell your home. What this all really means is that there are
fewer homes on the market which means that yours
will get more attention from buyers!
Buyers looking in the winter are sure to be motivated and make their efforts
worthwhile since they are brave enough to face the cold. There are numerous things that home owners
can do to make their home stand out to buyers.
Before
doing a huge remodel to get your home ready for the winter market, take note
that interior designers, Realtors, and home stagers agree that doing any sort
of large-scale remodels or extravagant staging of any kind before selling your
home isn’t worth the investment.
Instead, the key to making your home stand out and successfully selling
it in the wintertime lies in small renovations, upping the cozy factor, paying attention
to details, and making the most of winter assets. Here are some ideas for preparing your home
for success by creating a warm and welcoming vision for home buyers:
Warm your Home
There
are various ways to do this. The obviously
first is to light a crackling fire.
Fireplaces create a warm, cozy, inviting, and homey feel to a
house. Light a fire if you have a gas
fireplace or a new clean-burning woodstove but if your home’s fireplace is
older and leave a smoky smell in the room, hold off. Smoke can be off-putting to those with
allergies or sensitivities. Instead,
consider offering a warm beverage such as hot apple cider, coffee, or hot
cocoa!
First Impression Entryways
A
clean and clutter-free house will sell more easily, and maybe even at a higher
price, any time of the year. Entryways
in winter can consist of slushly melting snow, wet boots, rock salt crystals, mud
and muck, and winter gear thrown everywhere.
Entryways are one of the very first impressions of a home and can definitely
play a factor in buyer’s overall feeling about a house. Some simple ways to keep an entryway clean is
to use a nearby closet to store winter coats, hats, boots, and scarves, have a
rug at the door for feet wiping, have a trunk in the entryway to for storage,
and have a light and quick mop or Swifter nearby to wipe up any messes.
Lighten Up!
During
the winter, daytime can often mean gloomy dim sun light. Turn on the lights throughout your home to
give buyers a brighter idea of what your home is all about, literally! Lamps
and under lights aid in creating a warm and welcoming feel to the home too.
Pay Attention to Detail
Even
the smallest of details can go unnoticed and make a real difference for
prospective buyers. Use what you already
have in your home and do simple things like throwing a draped blanket over the
back of an armchair or at the foot of a bed, throw some decorative throw
pillows on the couch, a chair, and the bed, put area rugs consisting of warm
hues throughout the home in open areas.
Use Your Outdoor Rooms
If you have a
covered porch or outdoor fireplace, it’s a great idea to keep that area fully
furnished and visually appealing. Turn
on outdoor lights, put out some throw pillows and drape a quilt over any
outdoor furniture.
Emphasize Spaces
To make your home
even more appealing, emphasize spaces and rooms that will catch prospective
buyers’ eyes and heighten their interests.
These types of rooms and spaces include: finished basements, playrooms,
indoor exercise areas, tool sheds, finished attics, sun rooms, decks, rec
rooms, built-in bar areas, cigar or game rooms, and any other special spaces in
your home. Remove any unrelated stuff or
storage in the space to enhance clarity and appeal. Be sure to tell your Realtor to show these
spaces.
Entertaining Possibilities
Who
doesn’t like a home fit for entertaining friends and families? Show the grand hosting possibilities of your
home by holding holiday open houses and setting up for prospective buyer walk throughs. Winter is a popular time of
year for holiday parties and family gatherings.
Show just how warm and inviting your home can be by putting out plates
of holiday snacks or cookies and warm beverages. Decorate your tables with fresh winter
flowers or outdoor foliage like decorative pine cones in a beautiful glass
bowl. Place popular winter vegetables
and fruits in bowls on the kitchen counter like pomegranates, currants, figs,
lemons, squash, and mixed nuts.
Winter Gardens
Among
the snow and ice, it can be difficult for buyers to visualize a beautiful
blooming garden. There are ways to
display the great potential of a garden by placing large urns and planters,
benches, rock walls, and other garden structures.
Shovel
and Salt!
There’s nothing more off-putting about touring a house
than not being able to get to the house due to an icy pathway. Make sure open house guests and potential
buyers can easily and safely walk all the way around the house and access outer
buildings like garages and sheds. Try to
provide as much off-street parking as you can to make things easy for visitors.
Holiday Decorations
Help
buyers envision living in your home by taking advantage of the holiday season
and lively décor. Let buyers see what
their holidays could look like living in their home. Twinkling lights, green wreaths, and other
festive décor can definitely make a difference.
Don’t go overboard with the decorations, even the smallest of décor can
make the biggest difference.
Hire a Motivated Realtor
The
winter season isn’t a time for agents to kick back and relax or take off all
winter to a tropical island. You want an
agent who is just as motivated at getting your home sold as you are. Winter is a great time for Realtors to put their
marketing techniques to good use. It’s
the perfect time to get creative and gain exposure. As your friends and family if they have an Realtor to refer to you. Make sure your Realtor focuses on targeting the right motivated buyers such as those on a
deadline, relocations, investors on tax deadlines, college students and staff,
and military personnel if you live near a military base.
Price to Sell
Who
doesn’t like getting a great deal on a home?
A home that’s priced low for the market will make buyers happy, any time
of the year. Instead of making gradual
small price reductions, many real estate agents advise sellers to slash their prices
before putting the home on the market.
Attractive Curb Appeal
With
the heaps of snow that can pile up during the winter time, it’s important to
make sure your home looks just as good from the outside as it does inside. Put up some sparkling holiday lights, do some
minor repairs and paint touch ups to the outdoors, clean the gutters from Fall
leaves, and shovel a nice pathway.
Take Great Photos
With
the winter winds and snow-filled streets, homebuyers are more likely to begin
their house hunt from the comfort of their warm cozy home by searching the Web
for listings. Therefore, it’s in your
best interest to make sure that you take great photos to catch their
attention. Offer a generous amount of
flattering, high-quality photos. To make
things even better, include a few summer and spring photos if you can.
Create a Video Tour
Another
way to grab the attention of Web-browsing homebuyers is to make a virtual tour
video of your home. Make your home as
attractive as it can be, utilize holiday décor, light a fireplace, light
candles, and shoot a clear video tour of your home to post online.
Don’t Sell, Don’t Worry!
If
you don’t sell your home before the New Year, don’t worry, there’s always next
year! The holiday season can be
stressful enough with holiday parties, work goals, family gatherings, holiday
shopping, cooking, and more, that you don’t need added stress with your home on
the market. As long as you and your
Realtor do your very best, don’t let it get to you if you don’t sell. The right buyers will come at the right time!
