Top 10 Tips For Selling Your Home This Winter
Posted By: Rachel Kavanagh
Top 10 Tips For Selling Your Home This Winter – Attracting a buyer to your home requires a little extra effort in the off-season, particularly because days are shorter and tough weather can discourage buyers from touring your property. However, less inventory and more serious buyers make selling during the winter months more appealing.
Here are 10 tips to get your home SOLD this winter.
1. Let There Be Light
Retract blinds and widen curtains, so there’s minimal window coverage. The windows will look bigger, and it will encourage daylight to flow into the room. Remove screens from the windows to allow more natural light to flow into the home.
Experiment with lightbulbs to find the most flattering hues for the room. A bathroom looks great with daylight bulbs (5,000-6,500K) and living spaces, such as bedrooms and living rooms, look best with soft white bulbs (2,700K). In general, the home’s design and colour palette will play a part in what looks most appealing.
Take advantage of hardwood flooring. Nothing shows off a home better than daylight bouncing off beautiful hardwood floors. Remove unnecessary area rugs to maximize the effect.
Bring in extra floor lamps. Add them to rooms with dark corners to create a warmer setting.
2. Spend Time on Basic Home Maintenance
Check window seals and doors for drafts. A drafty window is most noticeable on a cold day, so take extra efforts to weather seal and insulate around windows and doors. Consider having the furnace maintained before putting the house on the market. On a cold day, buyers will test the systems to ensure that they are in good working order. Be a step ahead by having a maintenance team leave a sticker or magnet marking the date of the last inspection to add peace of mind for buyers. Swap out the HVAC filter to help reduce any odours or fall allergens in the home.
3. Deep Clean: A Few Places You Might Forget About
Clean inside the cabinet beneath the sink. It’s likely a buyer will glance at the plumbing and notice if the inside of the cabinet is dirty. Clean it well or consider adding a new piece of shelf liner on the bottom. Take some extra time and make your fixtures sparkle. Polish the showerhead, faucet and cabinet knobs/handles.
4. Maybe Some Paint?
A light-coloured interior will reflect more light than a dark one, and that may make all the difference on a gloomy, cool day. If the walls look dingy or dated, refresh the look of a room with a can of satin or eggshell.
Get inspiration from Benjamin Moore’s 2020 Colour Trend Palette
5. Be Sensitive to Seasonal Decor
Throughout the winter season keep the seasonal décor at a minimum. No one expects a home to completely lack holiday decorations during these months, but simplicity is appealing. Choose for modest, neutral accessories — think white string lights, a Christmas tree that flatters the space, tasteful throw pillows and/or blankets to accentuate a space.
6. Show How Outdoor Rooms Can Be Used Even in The Coldest Months
If the property features a covered porch or outdoor fireplace, be sure to keep the area fully furnished. Turn on outdoor lights, build a fire in the fireplace (do not light the fire) and drape a few thick throws over your outdoor furniture.
7. Clear All Exterior Pathways of Snow and Ice
Nothing will turn away potential buyers faster than a treacherously icy path. Open-house guests should be able to easily walk around the house and access any external buildings. Provide as much off-street (snow-cleared) parking as you can to make things easy for visitors.
8. Give the Home A Welcoming Smell
Simmering cinnamon or baking cookies is especially appealing in the winter and will make the home smell delicious. Using fake smells such as air fresheners might make buyers suspicious as to what you could be covering up.
9. Don’t Forget the Power of Flowers
Just because there are no flowers outside, does not mean there cannot be flowers inside. A splash of colour from flowers can add warmth to a room and brighten a dreary day, lifting the spirits and enthusiasm of visitors.
10. Showcase Energy Efficiency
Buyers are prone to think more about heating bills in the winter, so look to provide written information about the energy-efficient products the home has to offer. Consider upgrading bulbs in hard-wired fixtures to LED. Inform the buyers that they are included in the sale of the home.
Do you have any questions about selling your home this winter? Contact us and we will provide the expertise to have your home go from for sale to sold.
* Top 10 Tips For Selling Your Home This Winter – written by Benczik Team Realty
For more information on your home, visit our website and get a free home evaluation to ensure you get the best seller’s service! With experience around Markham, Stouffville, Unionville, and all of York Region, Benczik Team Realty works to serve you in the best way possible! Act now, and don’t miss out on this ever-growing market.
