Are you thinking of putting your home on the market? It is easier to sell your home during spring and summer, but selling your home during winter is not impossible. Selling your home is an important task that you want to do well to make sure you sell it for as much as possible so you can use any equity from the house for your next endeavor. And to get the best sale from your home, you can make some detail-oriented preparation tasks to put it in its best light for potential buyers. To prepare your home to list it for sale, here are some essential tasks you should complete to get it ready.
Clean Up the Interior
The inside of your home is a well-lived-in space, but you don’t want that wear and tear to be apparent to any buyer who tours through your home. Your home should look warm and inviting but not worn out.
To make sure your home doesn’t show its age, be sure to clean and repair areas inside the home that need attention. It can be helpful to get the opinion of an outsider or someone who does not live in the home to point out areas that need some work. For example, the wall of family photos might be your favorite part of the living space, but it might look dated and cluttered to a buyer.
Remove or store away most of the personal items inside your home, such as photos, toys, and personal memorabilia. You can rent a storage unit to place these items along with excess clutter during the sales process. Deep clean your home and hire a professional carpet cleaning service to remove stains and wear from the carpets.
Be Mindful of Lighting
The days are shorter during winter, so you want to consider the lighting in your home. You do not want your buyers to be turned away because the lack of light made your home feel small or depressing. It is important to let the natural light in during the day, and you should replace the lightbulbs throughout your home as needed. You may want to switch to LED bulbs for a brighter, energy-efficient solution.
Paint the Walls
The walls of your home similarly receive a great deal of wear from everyday living in the form of nicks, scratches, and handprint smudges. Use a degreaser cleaner to wipe down the walls in your kitchen to remove grease buildup and throughout the rest of the home to take off dust and dirt as well. This will prepare the walls for the new paint.
Hire a professional painter to paint over any walls that are not painted a neutral tone. Look at painting the walls beige, white, off-white, grey, or another type of neutral color. A buyer will want to be able to imagine their furnishings and decor inside your home to want to buy it, and if a wall is painted mauve to match your decor, for example, they might not be able to do this. Talk to a professional painter about recommendations based on what others are requesting in their home. Your painting professional can be a great resource for this update.
When selecting the new interior colors for your home, stay with white for the trim, ceilings, and doors. This technique will help your interior look brighter, larger, and cleaner and help you attract the right buyer.
Seasonally Stage Your Home
Staging your home during winter is not the same as staging it during spring or summer. You are still removing personal items to make it easier for buyers to imagine their lives in this space, but you also need to create a warm, cozy vibe in your home. Throw pillows, blankets, and area rugs can add comfort to any room of the home, while a tea kettle on the stove makes your buyers think of warm beverages. In addition, you can also show pictures of your home during other seasons to give your buyers an idea of what it looks like all year round.
List Your Home Online
Your buyers may skip open house if it is too cold to leave their homes. Luckily, you can list your home on real estate websites such as Homes.com. Potential buyers can check out information and photos online ahead of time, and they may decide it is worth it to contact you about an open house. You want to stage your home for winter before you list it on real estate websites. If you are sharing pictures of your home during other seasons, talk to your real estate agent about including them on the listing page. Buyers are less likely to visit as many houses during the winter due to the cold weather, so it’s important to make a good first impression online.
Boost Your Curb Appeal
Winter is when you really need to boost the curb appeal of your home, especially when you cannot rely on your garden or lawn to attract buyers. The good news is, there are ways to boost your curb appeal even when the days are colder and shorter. Remove any leaves and dead greenery from your landscape, and place a few winter plants on your front porch or steps. Do not forget to put away seasonal items that could distract your buyers. Finally, you want to make the most of your pathways and outdoor lighting.
If you take the above tips into consideration, you are sure to sell your home even during the winter months.