Selling a home during the late spring and summer means the grass is green, the trees are in full bloom, the landscaping is lush, and the sun casts a glow throughout your home. However, if you’re selling your home during the winter, you’re likely faced with gray skies, bare landscaping, and even slushy snow and ice. Creating a warm and welcoming environment inside your home will help to highlight its unique selling features and make it stand out to interested buyers. Read on for tips on successfully selling your home during the winter months.
Play up the cozy features
Working with the season instead of against it can positively showcase your home. Keep the exterior walkways and area around the front door clear, shoveled, and salted, if necessary. Create a clutter-free, welcoming entryway with a generously sized rug, a seating space for buyers to sit down and remove their shoes, a table to set their belongings on, and subtle yet exciting decor.
Keep the heat on
During showings and open houses, ensure the heat is on and the home doesn’t feel chilled. A warm home will help buyers feel comfortable and reassured that the heating system works.
Turn on the fireplaces
Turning on the fireplaces throughout the home will instantly increase a home’s coziness and create an all-around inviting feel. On especially frigid days, it will also add welcomed warmth to your house.
Remove clutter and inject personality
Eliminating knick-knacks and too many decor pieces is essential to staging a house to sell. When you’re selling a house in the winter, add enough items to make the home feel inviting and restful. Draping a throw blanket over the chairs in the living spaces, placing enough throw pillows on the seating, and styling the surfaces with a restrained yet interesting selection of coffee table books and other decor pieces will help to give the house a personality.
Create an inviting experience
When buyers are home searching during the winter months, going from showing to showing can be cold, tiring, and even messy if it happens to be during a snowfall. Create a warm, welcoming experience when they enter your home to make an immediate first impression.
- Appeal to the senses: Ensure the home is visually spotless, play soft music, whether it’s a candle or diffuser, select an understated scent, display fresh flowers, and set out a light snack and warm beverage.
- Showcase selling features: Styling different areas of the home can help show buyers how they can use the space during the winter months. For example, you can set out a coffee station with supplies for them to help themselves. Or, in the family room, you can display a stack of books, a throw blanket, and a candle to help buyers imagine themselves spending cozy evenings at home.
Strategize with your real estate on pricing
Selling your home during the winter may sell for a different price than during a highly competitive spring and summer market. Ensure you’re comfortable with the listing price while being strategic about how it’s priced to sell. Working with your real estate agent to understand the area’s home comps will help to shape the pricing strategy.
