Tips for Selling a House in winter
Traditionally, houses don’t sell well in winter. Unless you live in a consistently sunny climate, this is not the ideal time to bring your home to market: bad weather discourages buyers from venturing out and often makes a property look bleak. However, there are still a few more steps you can take to make the house comfortable: letting in light, creating a warm ambience (both literally and figuratively), and even serving refreshments. Here are some tips to encourage shoppers to get out of the cold.
Delete a path
Keep shoveling a path through the snow even if flakes are still falling. Footprints on freshly fallen snow turn into ice when the temperature is low enough. So regularly scrape the path and steps and sprinkle a layer of sand or salt over them. Remember to open a path from the street to the sidewalk so visitors aren’t forced to crawl over drifting snow. Place a rubber mat next to the front door or container to hold wet umbrellas and shoes.
Let the light in
Pull up the blinds, open the shutters; pull back the curtains on each window (unless the view or the outdoor landscape is particularly undesirable). Turn on every light in the house, including appliance lights and cabinet lights. You can brighten up dark rooms with few windows by placing spotlights on the floor behind furniture.
Make everything sparkle
Washing the windows increases the precious hours of daylight. Clean cobwebs and dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and lights. Bleach back grubby mortar and, if necessary, tubs, showers and sinks. Polish chrome faucets and mirrors. Clean the refrigerator. it probably needs cleaning anyway. Wash or polish floors and vacuum daily; if you have soft carpeting, vacuum in one direction. Empty trash cans and wastebasket every day;
Turn up the heat
You want the indoor temperature to be comfortable and the buyer to have more incentive to stay, especially on a cold day. So pump up the thermostat. It is better to heat the house a degree or two warmer than usual and then adjust the temperature to normal. This prevents the heat from setting in when the buyer is around (some HVAC systems are noisy).
If you have a fireplace, light it, but be sure to open the hatch, put a screen in front of it, and don’t leave it unattended for very long.
Create a mood
You want rooms that are particularly warm, cozy and inviting. Make your living room romantic by placing two champagne glasses next to a champagne bucket on the coffee table; Throw Afghans or throw them over the armrests of your sofa. Pull up your dining table for a dinner for two. In the bedroom, place a breakfast tray on the bed that contains a coffee cup, saucer, napkin, and reading
Materials; It’s your turn to bathroom at a spa by hanging plush robes on the door, putting washcloths and towels in baskets, and putting together a group of soaps, lotions, and shampoo.
Create a feeling of summer. Put vases filled with flowers around the house. Display photos with flower gardens and lush green lawns.
Turn on the sound
Don’t neglect the acoustic ambience. Let the music play softly all the time. Light jazz or classical music always have a calming effect. If it’s Christmas time Non-religious Christmas music is a nice touch. Do not tune into a commercial radio station. Instead, stream your music from a computer or tablet using iTunes or a service like spottily to keep your music continuous. Mute the ringtones on phones and answering machines.
Lighten the scents
Many people are allergic to certain smells and deodorants. So don’t spray air or plug-in air fresheners. For the same reason, don’t burn candles or spray perfume in the bedroom.
When baking cookies or simmering condiments in water on the stove, lay out nibbles so that potential buyers are not disappointed; More than one visitor was lured into a room by a delicious aroma, only to sadly say, “Oh, damn it, I thought there were cookies!” Speaking of…
Serve winter dishes
Hot cider and cocoa make a good selection of drinks. Creamy soups and stews are delicious on a cold day. To avoid handling utensils, serve them in shooting glasses or paper cups. Otherwise, stick with finger food.
Provide specific information
Attach printed maps to items, and in rooms with more information, the buyer may miss or not know. You have so little time to make an impression. If you have an antique chandelier that will stay in the house, put a card on it showing the age and other important details. When you’ve removed the washer and dryer from the laundry room, put a map on the wall describing the room so visitors know where they are. If your basement stairs are steep, post a card on the railing warning buyers to watch their step or heads.
Use caution when placing a card that says “Not Included in Sale”. This day makes a buyer want it, but you can play it to your advantage later.
Use technology
Connect indoor lights to a timer to turn them on automatically when you show the house. Use motion sensors that light up in the evening when a buyer approaches your front door. Program your pot to reheat the soup at a specific time, or your oven to bake or reheat bread or biscuits.
