By Karen McConnaughey
What makes selling a home more stressful? Selling it in the middle of winter. It generally is not the ideal time to put your home on the market if you live where it gets cold and it rains or snows primarily because your home won't show as well. The lawn is brown, the weather is usually bad and, unlike the longer days of summer, you have less time to show it off during daylight hours. There are also fewer buyers and the skies are gloomy. However, National Association of Realtors president Vicki Cox Golder made a good point, “Winter is typically the time of year when fewer buyers are looking for homes, but the buyers who are looking are serious about buying.” And while it's true that in most areas you'll probably have fewer buyers during the winter, you will have less competition from other sellers. The first house I ever sold was on the very worst day of winter in the Kansas City area, and that’s when real estate agents had to make their offers in person!
Not everyone has the luxury of waiting until the traditional spring or summer home-buying season to plant that "for sale" sign. The winter season makes staging — the concept of showing your house at its best — even more important. There are steps you can take to brighten your home and make the showing pleasant and enjoyable for your buyers.
The first should be most obvious…
1) Clear a Path:
- The top tip from agents: If the buyer can't get in easily, the house won't sell. That means keeping walkways and driveways free of the frozen stuff. Just like trimming the lawn in the summer, you want to make the home look like it's been maintained. If you're away frequently or live in an area that's subject to bad weather, it can pay to hire a service to regularly salt or shovel the driveway and sidewalks.
- If you have to get out every two hours to clear a path to your front door, do it...it’s worth your time…in money! And, don’t forget to open a path from the street to the sidewalk so visitors aren't forced to crawl over snowdrifts.
- Footprints on freshly fallen snow will turn to ice if the temperature is low enough, so scrape the walk.
- Sprinkle a layer of sand over the sidewalk and steps to ensure your buyers' stable footing.
- If it's raining, put a rubber mat by the front door or a container to hold wet umbrellas.
2) Let there be Light!
- Pull up the blinds, open the shutters, push back the drapes on every window.
- Turn on every light in the house, including appliance lights (if your oven is clean, of course!) and closet lights.
- Brighten dark rooms with few windows by placing spotlights on the floor behind furniture, behind vases full of flowers or plants.
- Turn off TV.
3) Contrast the Cold With the Warmth
- Pump up that thermostat. It's better to heat the house a degree or two warmer than usual and then set the temperature at normal. This prevents the heat from kicking on when the buyer is present, because some HVAC systems are loud. Even if you’re at work, the money you save by turning down the heat to low may be the money you lose if your buyer is not comfortable in your house.
- You want the temperature inside to be comfortable and to give the buyer more of a reason
to linger, especially on a cold day. Make sure it’s warm, not stuffy.
- If you have a gas fireplace, turning it on right before the tour can give the house a little ambiance. Light the fireplace, but open the damper, place a grate in front of it and don't leave it unattended for very long. You don't want your house to catch fire! Don’t do this, of course, if you’re going to be away (at work or wherever) when your house is being shown. You can always stack wonderful-looking wood on the grate to create the mood!
4) Create a Mood
- Make your living room appear romantic by placing two champagne glasses near a champagne bucket on the coffee table.
- Toss afghans or luxurious throws across the arms of your sofa.
- Turn your bathroom into a spa:
- Hang plush robes.
- Roll up wash cloths, tie with a ribbon and place in a basket on the counter.
- Set up a grouping of soaps, lotions and shampoo.
- Place vases filled with winter flowers around the house.
- Set a breakfast tray on the bed containing a coffee cup, saucer, napkin, rolled-up newspaper.
- Dress your dining room table for a dinner for two.
5) Turn on the Music
- Turn on soft music. Soft Jazz or classical is always soothing.
- Don't turn on a commercial radio station - fill the CD changer so your music will be continuous.
6) Essentially pleasing scents
- Many people are allergic to certain scents and deodorizers, so don't spray the air or plug-in air fresheners. And, definitely don’t do it in every room…people will start to wonder what you’re hiding.
- Don't burn candles or spray perfume in the bedroom for the same reason.
- One of my favorite scents, and very few people are allergic to it, is cinnamon. Buy good Essential Oil…we find some in Guadalajara at the candle shop! Put water in an oil burner and add a few drops of the oil. Light a tea candle. Oil Burners are really much safer than candles. By the way, if you do this, you might want to think about putting out a plate of Snickerdoodles or at the very least some munchies so buyers aren't disappointed. More than one sad buyer has said, "Oh, darn, I thought there were cookies in here!" Make smiles not regrets!
- Hot apple cider or cups of cocoa make great beverage choices as winter crowd-pleasers, and they create such wonderful aromas.
- Supposedly, the No. 1 favorite aroma is Chocolate-chip cookies. Just about everybody likes that smell. Other popular scents: cinnamon rolls, freshly baked bread, apple pie, apple cider or anything with vanilla.
7) Make it Visually Pleasing – Photos in bloom!
- Display photographs showcasing your summer flower gardens and lush green lawns.
- Keep blinds partially closed that otherwise show undesirable outdoor scenery such as a dilapidated fence or a nearby structure that obstructs views.
- Make Your House Sparkle:
- Wash windows
- Clean out cobwebs
- If necessary, re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.
- Polish chrome faucets and mirrors.
- Clean out the refrigerator. Yes…buyers have been known to look in a refrigerator or two!
- Vacuum daily. If your carpeting is plush, vacuum in one direction.
- Wash and wax floors.
- Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.
- Bleach dingy grout.
- Empty trash and recycling bins.
8) Provide Specific Information
- Attach printed cards to items and in rooms that provide further information the buyer might miss or might not know. You have so little time to make an impression. Do you have a central vacuum, or a Hepa air cleaner attached to your furnace? Make sure to feature them.
- If you have an antique chandelier in your dining room, put a card on it that discloses its age and other important details.
- Take care when placing a card that says: "Not included in the sale." That will make a buyer want it, but you can play that later to your advantage.
9) Use Timers and Technology to Your Advantage
- Plug indoor lamps into a timer to automatically turn on at times buyers will be present.
- Consider using motion sensors that will light up in the evening when a buyer approaches your doorstep.
- Set your crock-pot on a timer to warm up soup at designated time.
- If you use an answering machine, turn it off or mute messages.
10. Emphasize winter positives.
- Is your home on a bus route or some other vital service that means it's plowed or de-iced regularly in bad weather? Be sure to mention that to the buyers.
11. Protect Floors from Winter Elements
- When selling a home in winter it's perfectly acceptable to ask people to remove their shoes upon entering. This is especially important if you live in a snowy region of the country. Slush, gravel and salt (from those de-icing trucks) can wreak havoc on carpets and wood floors.
This will help you in two ways. First, it shows buyers that you care about the cleanliness of your home. And if your floors are noteworthy in some way (new carpet, nice wood floors, etc.), the buyers will immediately notice this feature. You can be sure the first thing they will do when seeing a "remove shoes" sign is to examine the floors. Or buy disposable paper booties for people to use as they tour your home.
12. Use the season to your advantage.
- This year you'll need to think about your tree more than you usually do. For starters, if your house is on the small side, get a smaller tree. You don't want the tree to appear to take over the entire living or family room. Likewise, you don't want to cram too much furniture into a room just to get the tree to fit in another room. Remove furniture if necessary.
- Place a nice welcome holiday mat outside your front door.
- Nothing is more inviting than a home brimming with greenery, twinkling lights and holiday decorations. Just don’t make it HO-HO-rendous! Keep decorations on the conservative side. Not all home shoppers may celebrate the holidays in the manner you do. You don't want to overwhelm anybody with abundant displays of holiday cheer. You want your house to be noticed, not your decorations.
- Hang a festive wreath on your door.
- Play holiday music in the background.
- Host a holiday party. It’s the perfect opportunity to show off your home to a large group of people. Your friends might not be in the market to buy a home, but you don't know who they know who might be in the market. Weird statistic or not, it is estimated that most people know at least 150 people very well at any given time.
- When the holidays are over (and the Christmas and Hanukkah stuff should come down), you can still use winter wreaths and dried arrangements around the door to spark interest. Anything seasonally appropriate is fun.
Good luck, and happy selling!
Sources:
212articles.com/articles/66140/1/Selling-Your-Home-in-the-Winter
activerain.com/blogsview
ajc.com
Bankrate.com
buzzle.com
ehow.com
homebuying.about.com
jacobtdavis.com
lifestylechannel.com.au/property/should-you-sell-your-home-in-winter
minyanville.com/investing/articles/house-selling-real-estate-realtors-martha
move.com/home-finance/real-estate
newsday.com
realestate.msn.com
stagingbug.com/winter-selling
Karen McConnaughey: Operations Manager for FocusOnMexico.
Focus On Mexico offers 8-Day Educational Programs to Ajijic and Lake Chapala, Mexico (2nd Best Climate in the World). Join us on a Focus program and learn why thousands of Americans and Canadians chose to retire in Lake Chapala.
Our programs offer the perfect balance; a wonderful vacation and an insightful, educational experience. Our expert speakers cover all topics: Health Care, Real Estate, Legal System, Immigration, Bringing Pets, Cost of Living, US Taxes for Americans, Non-Residency for Canadians, Living on the Lakeside, Investing in Mexico, Mexican Economy and much more...
You’ll get everything you need to help you decide if Lake Chapala, Mexico is the place for you, plus have a lot of fun doing it. Retiring in Mexico couldn't be better.