The busiest season of the housing market tends to happen in spring and summer, as many families take advantage of the nice weather to find their dream homes. However, even though the winter might be slower for real estate sales, that doesn’t mean you can’t sell your home for a great price in the colder months of the year. Preparation can make a big difference when you sell your home in the winter. Here are a few tips to help you.
Stage Your Home
Winter is cold and dark. Go above and beyond to stage your home so that it feels warm, cozy, and inviting. When you sell your property in the winter, create a comfortable atmosphere in all areas of your home. Use things like throw pillows and blankets to create a place where prospective buyers can imagine themselves relaxing inside during the coldest part of the year.
Boost Curb Appeal to Sell Your Home in the Winter
If you sell your home in the spring or the summer, you will have a lot of lawn and landscaping tasks to take care of in order to make a great first impression. While winter sellers don’t need to worry about mowing the lawn, it is still important to improve curb appeal. Trim tree branches and prune shrubs. Add planters or hanging baskets of hardy greenery for a boost of color, and hang a wreath to personalize the door.
Light Up the Living Space
Winter is the time of the year with the shortest days and the least amount of daylight. Since you won’t be able to rely on the sun to illuminate your rooms, you will need to use artificial light in every part of your home. Change the bulbs in your fixtures to brighter LED bulbs and make sure that you have a good combination of overhead lights, floor lamps, and table lamps in each room.
Highlight Energy-Efficient Features
Buyers are willing to pay a premium for homes that are designed with energy efficiency in mind. If you have energy-efficient appliances, new weatherstripping on your windows, or other features designed to lower heating and cooling bills, point them out to your real estate agent and potential buyers.
Remove Holiday Décor to Sell Your Home in Winter
It’s absolutely fine to deck the halls as you sell your home in the winter, but you should avoid having these holiday decorations present in listing photos. Holiday decorations immediately date the listing, which can make your home seem like it has been on the market for longer than it has. Holiday decor can also be polarizing, as everyone does not celebrate the same occasions in the winter months. To play it safe, leave holiday décor out of the photographs.
Border Home and Property Inspections offers inspections in the Midwest region of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Contact us to request our services.