Selling Your Home in Winter
Cooler Months Don’t Necessarily Mean Cooler Home Sales
The seller who chooses to list during the winter months isn’t up against an impossible task. There’s always a percentage of people who need to move. Sellers have a smaller pool of buyers, but there isn’t much inventory, either.
Like the weather, the real estate market tends to cool off quite a bit during the late fall and winter months. That doesn’t mean you can’t sell your home, though. You may be able to get a better price because there will likely be fewer homes on the market. It can also be an advantage if you’re looking for a quick closing, because buyers will be eager to close by year-end so that they can claim a mortgage deduction on their taxes. The actual slowdown is in late November, December, into early January. After the first few weeks of January, when everybody is recovered from the holidays, the market picks up again.
Winter presents its own unique set of challenges. It is not the ideal time to put your home on the market if you live where it gets cold and rains or snows, primarily because your home won’t show as well. However, there are steps you can take to brighten your home and make the showing pleasant and enjoyable for your buyers.
1) Clear a Path
- Continually shovel a path through the snow, especially if it’s still falling.
- Footprints on freshly fallen snow will turn to ice if the temperature is low enough, so scrape the walk.
- Sprinkle a layer of sand over the sidewalk and steps to ensure your buyers’ stable footing.
- Remember to open a path from the street to the sidewalk so visitors aren’t forced to crawl over snowdrifts.
- If it’s raining, put a rubber mat by the front door or a container to hold wet umbrellas.
2) Make it Visually Pleasing
- Display photographs showcasing your summer flower gardens and lush green lawns.
- Keep blinds partially closed that otherwise show undesirable outdoor scenery such as a dilapidated fence or a nearby structure that obstructs views.
- Make Your House Sparkle:
- Wash windows
- Clean out cobwebs.
- If necessary, re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.
- Polish chrome faucets and mirrors.
- Clean out the refrigerator.
- Vacuum daily. If your carpeting is plush, vacuum in one direction.
- Wash and wax floors.
- Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.
- Bleach dingy grout.
- Empty trash and recycling bins.
3) Serve Winter Foods
- Don’t serve muffins or any other kind of food that can be popped into the mouth because you want buyers to stay for a while and notice elements they might otherwise miss.
- Hot soups such as tortilla, potato or squash are delicious on a cold day.
- Chili or stew is a great alternative to soup, but leave a receptacle for disposal of the paper bowls and spoons.
- Hot apple cider or cups of cocoa make great beverage choices.
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