Selling A Home In The Winter: Four Tips For Success
Posted on: 29 December 2016
Spring and summer are the prime times to sell real estate. But if you need to get out of your home promptly, you might need to list homes for sale in the winter months. Selling a home in winter is not quite the uphill battle that some homeowners would have you believe. With these tips, you can increase your chances of finding a buyer and getting what your home is worth.
Include pictures of your home during the spring and summer.
When you and your realtor are working on the listing, be sure to include photos of your home during better weather. This way, interested buyers can see what the landscaping looks like when there's not a layer of snow and ice over it. Don't even bother including an outdoor photo of the home in winter in your listing. It won't attract anyone, and buyers can easily see what the home looks like in the winter when they visit in person. In fact, the desire to see the home in winter may cause more buyers to come visit!
Stay on top of snow removal.
You never know when someone who is interested may drive by and look at your home. Stay on top of your snow removal so your home always looks its best. You may want to hire a snow removal company to plow or shovel so you don't have to. Make sure plenty of salt is used so paths are clear and not slippery when people do arrive to visit the home.
Make the home feel cozy.
A home that feels cozy is very attractive in the winter. If the potential buyer feels warm and welcome as soon as they step in, they're more likely to be interested. So turn up the heat, decorate with a lot of textured items like blankets and pillows, and put rugs on any hard floors to add warmth to the space. You may also want to keep a pot of coffee on when buyers are touring the home. The smell of coffee makes a home feel inviting and cozy, and you can even offer them a cup to sip.
Point out the home's sturdy qualities.
Winter is typically the season that's hardest on a home. The cold is hard on roofs, fences, and the like, and the HVAC system has to work hard to keep the home comfortable. Use this to your advantage. In your listing and when talking to buyers, point out