Selling your home during the winter months can be a daunting task. The holiday season is already a hectic time of year and selling a house can be stressful. However, there are distinct advantages to selling your home at this time of year.
With the right staging and marketing, a REALTOR® will show your home as an inviting space away from the cold that provides year-round comfort. Potential buyers spend more hours online during the winter months, and approximately 80 percent of all first time homebuyers conduct online research before visiting a listing. Inventory often shrinks during the winter. With fewer houses on the market, your Realtor can easily give your listing a comparative advantage.
Here are some recommendations from the Eastern Bergen County Board of REALTORS® to ensure your house is sold at the best price and with the least amount of stress this winter.
Keep your home warm. It may seem obvious, but make sure that the moment potential buyers walk into your home they can warm up from the chilly outdoors. This will help would-be homebuyers imagine themselves coming in from the cold into their new house. Remember to, find any drafts in your house and seal them up. They are very noticeable in an otherwise warm and inviting home.
Let the light in. Your home may appear darker due to less daylight. Fight the gloom. Turn on all the lights possible for visitors. Open blinds and curtains and turn on interior lights to reduce the pervasive dreariness of winter months.
Manage your curb appeal. Many houses look their best during the warmer months, but a home with simple seasonal decorations, bright lights or greenery is still warm and inviting and appealing to would-be buyers. You should make sure that your driveway and sidewalks are always swept or shoveled and clear off any decks or patios. The number one tip from Re® is about snow and ice- if the buyer can’t get in easily, the house won’t sell. That means keeping walkways and driveways free of the frozen stuff. If you’re away frequently or live in an area that’s subject to bad weather, it can pay to hire a service to regularly salts or shovels the driveway and sidewalks.
Hire a REALTOR®. Finally EBCBOR reminds sellers that all real estate is local, so it’s important to work with a REALTOR® who is familiar with your neighborhood and community. Today’s typical home sale involves as many as 20 steps to complete the transaction. Realtors® know what buyers in your area are looking for and can create a marketing strategy that will help you achieve the best results. REALTORS® work through the real estate transaction process daily and understand how it affects the interests of their clients and customers. Realtors® know how to position a home for sale, negotiate contract terms, manage inspections and ensure a smooth settlement.
For more information, visit www.bergenboard.com.
