In many parts of the country, winter can be a challenging season to sell your home. However, with fewer homes on the market, you can be successful with the right strategies. Let these tips guide you on how to appeal to buyers over winter so you can quickly finalize a sale on your home.
1 – Take professional photos
You only get one chance to make a good first impression. A professional photographer can make your home look bright and welcoming, attract online shoppers to request a showing, and help your home sell faster.
2 – Let your home shine
Winter days are gray and shorter, so make your home bright and inviting for potential buyers. Replace all lightbulbs that have burned out, and use the same color lightbulbs, particularly in open living spaces. As it gets dark earlier, keep outside lights on until 9 pm to make your home visible to attract potential buyers driving by your home.
3 – Keep your property safe for homebuyers
The winter months can bring a lot of unpredictable weather depending on where you live. You want to make sure your home is always accessible for buyers to enter safely. Removing any snow or ice from around your home can ensure a safe path for buyers to enter your home.
4 – Enhance your curb appeal
In the winter, the trees surrounding your home may be bare, and the grass may not be as green as it is in the summer, but you can still take some measures to make the outside of your home look appealing to buyers. Maintain your lawn to attract buyers by removing leaves, sticks, and other debris from your yard.
5 – Price your home strategically
Compare your home to other homes on the block, even if they’re not currently for sale. If your home has unique features or has larger bedrooms than other homes, you can list for a higher price but ensure your agent explains these selling points in the listing. Before listing your home on the market, an experienced real estate agent should research recent comparable sales to determine with you a competitive price to go to market.
6 – Use 3D home tour
The winter months may be a difficult time for buyers to travel to see your home in person. An easy way to ensure more buyers can view your home without traveling is to have a 3D home tour available on your online listing. This will also help to reduce the number of showings as only serious buyers will view your home in person.
7 – Turn up the heat
As the weather gets colder in the winter, welcome potential homebuyers to your open houses or showings with a warm home. Lighting the fireplace or non-fragrance candles will add extra coziness.
8 – Hire a home stager
Decorations for the winter holidays can provide a festive feeling. However, too many holiday decorations can distract buyers from seeing the year-round livability of your home. Consider hiring a home stager before the listing photographs are taken to balance lighting with your furniture.
9 – Work with an experienced real estate agent
Not all real estate agents have experience in successfully selling homes in the winter. Take the time to research different agents and ask them their strategy for selling your home during a season with limited buyers.
10 – Bake cookies for open houses
A real estate trick is to invite buyers into your home with the smell of cookies. The winter holidays are the perfect time to bake holiday cookies as a welcoming treat for buyers to enjoy while they view your home.
