Tips for Selling Your Home in the Winter
Tips for Selling Your Home in Winter
Real estate experts agree that it’s generally best to sell your home during the warmer months of spring and summer. For one thing, home buyers with children will often plan their house hunting / home buying process for the summer, when their children are out of school. And they make up a pretty big segment of the buyer pool.
But what if you can’t sell your home during the spring or summer? What if it’s just not in the cards? Perhaps you cannot afford the home any more and you need to sell it fast, regardless of the season. Or maybe you have a job transfer that requires you to move during the winter months.
Whatever the reason, you need not despair. While there are certain challenges to selling a home during winter, they do not by any means make it impossible. On the contrary, if you follow the selling techniques and tips in this article (and the advice provided by your real estate agent), you should be able to sell your home in the winter nearly as easily as you would in the summer.
Contrast the Cold With Warmth
Emotions play a big role in the home buying process. Granted, buyers will be most concerned with the size of the home, the number of rooms, and other tangible items. But “gut” feelings and first impressions go a long way as well. So even in the coldest winter months, you can put this knowledge into practice. In fact, you can even take advantage of the winter cold!
The best way to do this is by showcasing the warmth and coziness of your home. By doing this, you will create a favorable first impression that buyers will carry with them throughout your house. Let’s look at an example of this concept in action.
Imagine This Realistic Scenario
Local home buyers John and Jane visit your home while house hunting. It’s cold outside, with wind and rain on top of that — the kind of conditions that make you want to hunker down someplace warm. John and Jane open the front door and enter the home. The house is well lit and exudes warmth. Candles burn atop the mantle. A fire crackles softly in the fireplace. The smell of gingerbread cookies (recently baked and offered on a glass plate) permeates the air.
Doesn’t that feel inviting? It will be the same way for buyers. So just by showcasing the warmth of your home, you have increased the likelihood of selling it. You are creating a favorable first impression by literally welcoming buyers in from the cold.
It’s a combination of psychology and physiology. The first physical impression will be one of warmth and relaxation, just as soon as the buyers walk in. This will lead to a favorable mental impression as well, and the buyers will carry this impression with them through the rest of the home. They will feel comfortable.
Conclusion
Some people will tell you that selling a home during winter is impossible. I say it depends upon two things: (A) the amount of effort you put into it, and (B) the type of real estate market you are in. Use the tips provided in this article, follow the expert advice of your real estate agent, and you have every chance of selling your home during winter!