The winter months are known for slow sales times and lower sales prices. But that doesn’t mean you are doomed to have your house on the market for months or to accept a depressingly low final offer. With a few tips you’ll be able to successfully market your house, attract buyers, and sell your house quickly for a great price.
Pick a Great Real Estate Agent
Just like other professions, real estate has its slow season. Typically when the weather turns colder agents use this time to vacation, spend time with family, or make changes to their real estate team. But that doesn’t mean all the real estate agents are gone. You can find the best agent in your area by doing your research. You don’t need to be best friends with your real estate agent but you do need to trust them to market and sell your home. You will only know if the agent is right for you through an interview. Once you’ve chosen an agent, you should sign your paperwork and then get down to the business of preparing your home for selling.
Create Winter Curb Appeal
Before buyers will step foot in your home you need to lure them in with great curb appeal. This can be a bit trickier in the winter as the lush greenery has faded and the bright glow of the sun is gone. First, keep the outside of your home safe and well lit. Your driveway and sidewalks should be clear of snow, ice, and debris. Clear pathways will keep potential buyers safe, and will also demonstrate a well cared for home. After you have shoveled and salted pathways you can clean up your landscaped areas. Remove leftover leaves from the flower beds and add winter ready shrubs such as winterthur, viburnum or winterberry. Next, install some form of outdoor lighting. A well-lit area around your home is important for the safety of buyers and it also adds a warm glow. Fortunately for those looking to sell quickly, adding outdoor lights is as easy as a trip to the local hardware store. Outdoor solar lights are an easy addition that simply need to be pressed into the ground and placed anywhere that will receive a bit of sunlight throughout the day. There are also a variety of lights that can be placed on fence posts or on steps for added light.
Make the Indoor Inviting
Getting the inside of your home ready to sell in the winter does not need to be elaborate or time consuming. The basics of home preparation should start with making any repairs that are deemed necessary. Since you are in the process of getting ready to sell, don’t take on extra projects that won’t add to your home’s value. Instead, consult with your agents about what he or she suggests repairing. When repairs are done you can begin the process of decluttering and deep cleaning. This means going room to room to remove anything that is unnecessary to the staging and selling of your home. Next you will need to deep clean all the rooms in your house. This means scrubbing walls, dusting ceiling fans, and wiping down those far away corners that you always seem to forget.
Stage Your Home for Success
So your real estate agent wants you to stage your home. But what does that even mean? Home staging is simply the act of furnishing your home in a way that creates an open inviting space for buyers to see. It does not mean redecorating or spending thousands of dollars on furniture and decorations. Home staging is a very important step that will greatly attract your chances of finding a buyer. In fact, over 21% of real estate agents say staged homes sell 6% to 10% faster than unstaged homes. Warm wall colors such as creamy whites and light beiges create an inviting space as do soft rugs and comfortable accents such as knitted throws. Arrange your furniture in a way that allows for freedom of movement and a continuous flow in the most important rooms of your home; the living room, dining room, and master bedroom. Additionally, you can use warm lights throughout your house to create a cozy and warm reprieve from the outdoors.
Market Your Home
Your rooms are spotless and your counters and floors are glistening, so now what? This is the perfect time to have your home photographed. Marketing your home on the internet will assist in bringing in more potential buyers which could translate to a faster selling time and higher sales price. While you might be tempted to snap a few photos with your smartphone, you should leave the photography to the professionals. These photographs will be the first impression that potential buyers have of your home since most home buyers begin their search online. It will be more difficult to lure them into a showing without a selection of high quality photos.
Be Patient
After all of your hard work the last thing you want to do is wait for the perfect buyer. This is the time when you need to be patient. Keep in touch with your real estate agent. You should also keep a flexible schedule so that you can maximize your home’s showing potential. With a positive outlook and a bit of patience your home will sell for a great price even in the coldest of winter months.
