5 Tips for Listing Your Home in the Winter
Buying and selling homes typically spikes in spring and summer when the inventory of homes for sale tends to be at its highest, and the buyer pool tends to be at its largest. However, as we monitor today’s hot seller’s market conditions, we have seen a shift towards selling during the cold weather months with advantages like less competition with fewer properties on the market and the opportunity to have buyers’ undivided attention. If you are considering listing your property this winter season, here are a few tips to helping your home feel welcoming and bright to a potential buyer.
1. Light it Up!
Sparse winter sunlight can make it a real challenge to making the home look as bright as possible to potential buyers. Whenever possible, show your home during the daytime and let lots of natural light inside. Maximize all available lighting by having your home’s windows professionally cleaned – inside and out before you put your place on the market including the storm windows.
Make sure the outside of your house features strategically placed lighting, especially along walkways, not only for safety reasons, but to also brighten dark areas, highlight the architecture, and make the home look inviting. For the interior, pull back the curtains and set up extra lamps in dark corners of the house. Consider swapping out the old style bulbs with new LEDs as they are often much less costly to run than incandescent and offer brighter lighting.
2. Include All-Season Photography
The same rules apply in the winter as they do in the summer, declutter the space to make your home look clean and roomy. If possible, arrange for any photography or videography to take place on a nicer day before it snows or after it melts during a brief winter thaw. Include a few summer photographs of your home in the listing so prospective buyers can better imagine themselves in the property all year round. When buyers visit the home, consider including a photo album or digital slideshow of the exterior in the summer, spring, and fall to highlight beautiful garden beds, and patios or deck furniture that you may like to showcase.
3. Make Your Home Warm and Cozy
When the temperature is freezing outside, nothing is more comforting than walking into a warm and welcoming space by having the heat turned up in your home to a comfortable temperature. If available, make an impression with your gas or electric fireplace by having it turned on or leaving a note with the remote, prompting the potential buyers or their agents to turn it on, so they can enjoy the ambiance.
Accessorize the main living area with neutral-but-coordinated rich fabric throws and soft pillows and unscented candles to create a homey aesthetic.
Make sure to replace any drafty weather stripping around your exterior doors and seal around windows to reduce air leaks.
4. Consider your Pricing Strategy
Leverage the expertise of your realtor and rely on competitive market analysis to come to an appropriate list price for your home. Since there is less inventory, and fewer choices for buyers during the winter months, if your home is priced competitively and shows well, winter buyers will be less likely to try and negotiate the price down. Since they have fewer options, they are less likely to risk losing out on a good home at a fair price.
5. Clean Up “Winter” Constantly!
Tidy up your landscaping to remove any remaining leaves from the lawn and window wells, and clean up brush surrounding your home. If it snowed outside recently, prepare to shovel the walkway, driveway, steps and make sure your buyers do not have to park too far away from your property. Lay down salt, where possible, to potentially avoid any slips. Clear gutters to avoid icicle formation and knock down any smaller icicles that may pose a safety hazard to those walking underneath them.
Make sure you lay down a large sturdy mat so visitors can properly wipe their feet as they enter the home. Where you can, remove any personal winter boots and coats from your hall to make the area look bigger and so that visitors have a clear space to enter. Consider assigning a coat hanging area to give individuals viewing your home a clean space to leave their wet items without having to carry them around the tour. Be prepared to do a quick clean or mop up afterwards so the property is ready for the next appointment.
Not only is selling a home in winter possible, but in some cases, it can even be a great idea. You can appeal to a different group of buyers and have less competition to face. Stay patient, follow some of these preparation tips to help make your home stand out and reach out if you want to dive into more tips for selling you home in the winter!
