Winter is a notoriously sluggish time for home sales, particularly in areas that experience harsh weather conditions. And while many people wouldn't choose the coldest months of the year to list their home, life happens. You can turn lemons into lemonade and make your home stand out among low inventory levels by appealing to your potential buyers' senses. Let's take a look at some tips for showing your home in the winter months.
1. Winter maintenance
If you're planning for a winter sale, you need to make sure that you've taken care of winter maintenance in and around your home. Your flower beds should be cleared of leaf debris, dead plants should be pulled, and you should plant your beds with hearty winter blooms. Trees should be carefully pruned and shrubbery trimmed, giving your yard a tidy, maintained appearance. You also need to keep your walkways and driveway clear of snow and ice, so if you're no longer living in the home, enlist the help of a neighbor or hire a snow removal service.
Once you've tended to the exterior, head inside and make sure that all doors and windows are winterized, sealing leaks and filling gaps. The last thing a prospective buyer wants to walk into is a drafty house.
2. First impressions are everything
You only get one chance to make a first impression, and with people heading online to begin their house hunting, your listing photos mean the difference between non-stop showings and complete radio silence. For this reason, you want to wait for a clear day to photograph.
HomeLight, a prop-tech company, conducted a survey of 500 top real estate professionals across the country in the fourth quarter of 2019. The agent insights survey gathered information about real estate trends at the end of the year, in addition to predictions for 2020.
Of the agents surveyed, 60 percent said that winter listing photos should be taken on a clear weather day to most accurately depict a home. Eighteen percent of agents responded that winter listing photos should be taken as recently as possible, even if everything is covered in a blanket of snow. Simply put, your listing photos are incredibly important, so make them count.
Check out additional agent tips in this winter selling infographic:
3. Keep things warm
While you may like to keep your home at a cool 62 degrees during the winter, you definitely don't want to maintain that temperature for showings. Your home should convey comfort for potential buyers, and a chilly house may mean a cool reception of the interior. Instead, crank up the heat and get the fireplace going to create a warm and toasty feel. If you have a smart thermostat, you can easily adjust your heat for unexpected showings, allowing you to maintain a cool home the majority of the time and cranking up the thermostat as needed, even when you're away.
4. No one likes a stuffy house
If you're like many people, the first hints of spring weather find you throwing open all the windows in your house. There's a good reason for this: homes get stuffy after being closed up for so long.
While all homes get stuffy during the cold winter months, you need to be mindful of how your house smells while you're actively trying to sell your home. While you may love the smell from the bacon you cooked for breakfast, those potential buyers -- who are vegetarian -- may be turned-off just by the smell.
Avoid artificial scents and fresheners, as they may irritate smell-sensitive people and can inadvertently cause potential buyers to think you're attempting to cover something up. Instead, consider simmering cinnamon, cloves, and orange peels on the stove, to cover up any stuffy odors and create a cozy, wintery feel to your home.
5. Amp up the cozy factor
While you may use dark, insulated drapes to conserve heat and energy usage, make sure they're open when people come to tour your home. You want as much light as possible to come into your home, especially during those dark and dreary winter months.
If you have a fireplace, have fire lit when people come through to help them envision themselves snuggling up by the fire to keep the cold at bay. Make sure to feature comfortable throws and pillows in your sitting area to help prospective buyers complete the picture.
If you haven't already surmised, showing a home in winter means homeowners have to work even harder to convey comfort. However, a well-maintained and well-lighted property can be enough to get feet through the door, and keeping your interior warm and cozy may be enough to seal the deal.
