Winter is typically a slow season for real estate transactions. Cold conditions discourage many buyers from scouting for homes, and gray skies can make a property look uninviting. But don’t let the dreary weather discourage you. The attempt to sell your home in winter can prove challenging, but it isn’t impossible. Here are tips to boost the appeal of your property.
How to Sell Your Home in the Winter
Selling a home in the coldest months of the year requires a little more work than selling it during peak seasons like summer and spring. There are various things to consider, such as lighting, landscaping, and décor. If you’re hoping to sell your home, use these tips to attract potential buyers.
Clear the Snow
Snow makes a property difficult to access. Don’t let it accumulate. Keep the walkways and driveway free of snow and ice so potential buyers can reach your home easily and safely.
Keep Your House Warm
Make your home feel warm and cozy during showings. A cold house could cause buyers to question the effectiveness of the HVAC system, making a bad impression. If you’re planning to sell your home in the winter, turn up the thermostat. It will increase your energy costs, but a warm home keeps potential buyers comfortable and leave them with a good impression of the property. For extra comfort, light your fireplace before showings. A fire warms your home and highlights this desirable feature.
Prioritize Lighting to Sell Your Home in Winter
Over winter, the days are shorter, meaning you have less natural light to work with during showings. A dark and dreary home isn’t appealing to prospective buyers. Before buyers arrive, clean the windows and open your blinds and curtains to let in as much natural light as possible. Replace dim bulbs in lamps and overhead fixtures with brighter ones to create a cheery atmosphere.
Clean the Home
Keeping your home clean creates a good impression no matter the season. In addition to cleaning your windows to let in more light, you should also:
- Dust ceiling fans, furniture, and light fixtures
- Empty the trash
- Mop and polish hardwood floors
- Clear cobwebs
- Bleach the caulk in the bathrooms, or re-caulk if necessary
- Clean carpets and rugs
Showcase Your Home During Other Seasons
Gloomy winter weather makes it challenging to make your home look warm and inviting. Show potential buyers what your home looks like in summer and spring. When creating an online listing, use pictures of your property taken in other seasons. These will illustrate to potential buyers how the home and landscaping looks year-round.
Be Flexible to Sell Your Home in Winter
Various factors such as bad weather, poor driving conditions, and holiday commitments may prevent buyers from visiting your home. As a result, you’ll need to be flexible with showings. Allow buyers to reschedule viewings or visit your property multiple times to boost the odds of a successful sale.
While winter may not be the best time to put your home on the market, you can still experience a successful sale when it’s cold out. Use these tips to attract homebuyers and leave them with a good impression of your home.
Carolina Homechek offers inspection services, including pre-listing home inspections, to Mecklenburg and the surrounding counties in North Carolina. Contact us to request an appointment.