Are you getting ready to sell your home? While some say the best times to sell are spring and summer, we don’t always get to choose the season when it’s time to sell. There are actually several benefits to selling in the winter, like a less crowded listing market, but you’ll still have to battle the elements when trying to make your home stand out. You’re going to want to emphasize your home’s top features as with any sale, but you’re also going to want to winterize a little as you go.
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Lights
But not what you’re thinking (we’ll talk more about holiday lights later on). We’re talking about your everyday home lights. Dusk comes even faster in the winter months, and there’s nothing less appealing than a dark and uninviting home that you’re supposed to be “seeing”. Porch lights are a must and maybe even some path lighting if the entry isn’t the easiest to navigate. You’re trying to make people feel welcome, and lighting is one of the simplest ways to do that.
Heat
This is a huge must for anyone attempting a winter sale. Temperature is the absolute first thing people are going to notice when they enter a home in the colder months. It will also stay on their mind as they tour the home, so you want to get them comfortable quickly and keep them that way. Drafty homes can make buyers think that the home is poorly insulated and potentially going to cost them a lot in increased utility bills. If you’re in Texas or Florida you can go back to mowing your lawn in December, but for the rest of the country, it might be time to turn up the heat.
Snow
While it’s beautiful and serene, it’s not going to help sell your home. Yes, it might add to the atmosphere, but ultimately it’s going to be blocking views to otherwise beneficial parts of your home. If that was intentional, and you actually want certain parts of your home to not be visible, maybe a winter sale is the time for you. All kidding aside, this can be a great time to showcase the home’s functionality in its climate. On the flip side, you don’t want an icy set of stairs taking out prospective buyers before they ever get to the door.
Christmas Lights
This is a contested issue with some, but remember there are no rules in the wild world of winter home sales. For the sake of continuity, we’re going to recommend scaling back most, if not all, of the holiday decor. While this idea might feel straight from the grinch’s sack, it’s important to remember that you’re trying to sell someone your home, not dazzle them with a holiday light display they may or may not even care for. A string or two of holiday lights isn’t going to deter buyers, but let’s leave the inflatable Santas in storage for now.
Indoor Holiday Decor
Follow suit indoors and remove most, if not all, of the holiday decorations from inside the home. A modest tree with some lights isn’t going to scare anyone away, but if you can’t see the house under all the wreathes what’s the point of even looking? This isn’t to say you shouldn’t decorate at all, just don’t put more effort than needed if you think you’re going to be selling your home during the holiday season. And there are some festive things you can do to improve your home’s initial impressions. Boiling a few cinnamon sticks is a great way to fill the air with a pleasant and festive smell that won’t overwhelm buyers. The subtle smell of cinnamon brings us to our next tip: cookies.
Baked Goods
Some might call this cheating. Some might call it a good excuse to make some cookies. Everyone should just meet in the middle and understand a batch of fresh-baked holiday treats isn’t going to upset anyone, unless maybe they’ve got some untreated gastrointestinal issues. For the majority, this is going to be a welcome treat, and there are also some subtle psychological and physiological things that happen when someone enjoys food in a space. It not only makes the memory stand out stronger when they go to recall all the homes they’ve visited, but it also helps someone picture themselves existing in that space. Also, sugar just makes people feel good.
Be Accommodating
There’s a reason there are fewer home sales in the winter. There’s actually several. A lot of them have nothing to do with buyers, sellers, and markets as much as they have to do with the fact that it’s a pain in the butt to do anything in the middle of winter. The buyers don’t want to be out in the cold at 5:30 PM, in the pitch black, trying to determine if a foundation looks cracked anymore than you do. Traffic is worse and overall people have less patience. With that in mind, being understanding and hospitable might actually be your greatest asset when trying to sell a home in the winter.
