Tips for Winter Home Sales
Winter can be a spectacular time to showcase your house. In some locations with great winter amenities like skiing and snow shoeing, this can be the busy season. For the rest of us in winter climates, take advantage and cozy up your home to wow those Buyers! Here are some ideas to put into play:
Focus on the chimney. Keep the mantle and hearth clutter free. If you have a gas fire, turn it on just before a showing. If there’s a wood fire place, have it stacked and ready to go with wood, or fill it with candles of different heights and light them just before a showing to cast a warm glow.
Turn of up the temperature. While it’s important to conserve on heat, nudge up the thermostat just before your Buyers come in to make the house feel warm and inviting.
Keep the walk ways and landings free of snow and ice making it easy and safe for Buyers to make thier way in.
Brighten up your doorway- use a seasonal dried flower wreath once the Christmas decoration season has gone by.
Set up a coat rack and a basket of shoe booties in the entry way. This makes it easy to keep the floors clean no matter what the weather.
Arrange for showings during the day time to take advantage of the strong winter sun (and make sure the windows are clean!).
Put out a bright, new welcome mat.
Leave a booklet listing local winter amenities, or features that are helpful in the winter (how close the nearest train or bus stop is; any local cross country ski courses, etc).
Scent your home with something subtle- fresh baked chocolate chip cookies are always number one on anyone’s list of favorite items to smell.
Let there be light. Since it get’s darker earlier in the winter, use timers to automatically turn on lights. This makes it easier to have the house ready for a showing as well as casts a warm glow from the outside when a Buyer is driving by for their very first look.
The bottom line- your home can sell quickly when it feels warm and cozy on a raw, blustery day.
