Selling in winter is easier than you might imagine.
If you’re faced with selling your home in winter, don’t stress! You and your Realtor can handle this!
To begin with…
The internet knows no season! It used to be more difficult to sell a house in the winter. Not so anymore. Thanks to the internet, home buyers can view your home from the comfort and warmth of their sofa. Make sure however, that you and your Realtor have exceptional photos posted. High resolution, high quality photos are always MISSION CRITICAL! They’re even more important in the winter.
Winter Curb Appeal –
One of the most difficult challenges to selling in winter is Curb Appeal. Most people find driving up to a snow bank positively uninspiring. In more temperate climates, the winter months may still allow for green grass. Some areas of the country still have flowering plants and shrubs! Here in Michigan, we have… snow. The best thing you can do is to ensure potential buyers can see the potential beneath the blanket of white. Make sure the driveway is plowed! Keep it as clean as possible! Make sure all walkways leading to entry points are also free of any ice or snow. If your home features a deck, patio or other outdoor spotlight area – get it shoveled out. There’s no reason to hide your amenities just because of a little snow.
Warm and cozy on the inside –
Selling in winter gives you the opportunity to show off how cozy your house can be. If you have a fireplace make sure it’s in proper working order. Leave instructions for its operation out and available. If your Realtor is hosting an open house, have a nice fire burning. It adds warmth both literally and figuratively. Have warm looking throws tastefully draped over the end of a sofa or chair. This inspires buyers to see themselves comfortably cuddled up.
Keep your holiday decorations to a reasonable minimum. Take them down and get them put away by the end of the first week of January.
For your sanity and everyone’s safety, have a boot tray at each entrance. No one wants to have guests traipsing around the house in wet shoes. Imagine how bad you’d feel looking at your freshly cleaned carpets or newly installed wood laminate all covered in melted snow puddles. Imagine how badly potential buyers would feel… You want them to have nothing but fond memories of their time in the house. To say nothing of the possible issues with slipping and falling because of wet floors.
Another Season –
Another way you can combat the elements is by putting out a book of photos of your home in more favorable conditions. Show off your garden photography skills and pics of family and friends responsibly enjoying the patio or outdoor kitchen areas. Give potential buyers a sense of how much they could enjoy living in the house.
Selling in winter doesn’t have to be daunting. It’s nothing you and your Realtor can’t handle!