When the weather is gray, and the temperatures are chilly, it can be more challenging to sell a home. Even achieving curbside appeal can be difficult since many plants are dormant and flower beds are yet to be filled. The good news is that it is a seller’s market right now, but regardless of those advantages, there are a few more things you can do to make your home attractive to potential buyers and sell your home in the winter.
5 Tips to Sell Your Home in the Winter
- Set the right temperature. This is especially important if you’re not currently residing in the home while it’s on the market. Resist leaving the thermostat at too cool of a temperature because walking into a cold home can leave potential buyers feeling uncomfortable. Instead, either invest in a “smart home” thermostat that you can control remotely to warm up the home when visitors will be expected, or keep the indoor temperature between 69 to 72F during daytime hours. It’s essential buyers can imagine walking out of the cold, dreary weather and into your warm, cozy home.
- Remove holiday decorations. Selling a home during the winter can be challenging because your family may also be celebrating a number of holidays. Potential buyers need to see your home as theirs, so eliminating holiday decorations–both religious and secular–will give your home a more neutral ambiance.
- Increase the cleaning regimen. Many elements make homes dirtier in the winter. With rain and snow come mud and dirt. Fallen leaves and needles stick to shoes. And when the family spends more time indoors, dust and grime accumulate faster. Give your home an extra once over every week to make sure it looks spotless for potential buyers.
- Double-check your lighting fixtures. Less sunshine and fewer daylight hours mean your home will be darker inside (and outside) than in the late spring and summer months. Examine all the lights within the interior and exterior of your home to ensure they are all in good working order. At the same time, replace bulbs as necessary, so they have a consistent light output (all bright white or all soft white, for example). If you have older bulbs that take a few minutes to “warm-up,” replace those with newer styles that are energy efficient but light to full capacity immediately.
- Remember the importance of curb appeal. Keep your landscaping maintained by cutting the grass regularly, treating it with winter fertilizer, sweeping and blowing pathways and the driveway, and trimming trees and shrubs neatly. Visit your local home improvement or landscaping center to find cool weather flowers that can be either planted in beds or in coordinated planter boxes. This is also a perfect time to install outdoor yard lighting to illuminate walkways and focal points.
Your real estate agent will have good advice for you about pricing your home. Depending on current market conditions, home sales might slow down during the winter, and pricing a home more competitively may result in faster sales. However, with 2022 continuing the trend of being a seller’s market, trust in the information your agent has about home sales and negotiated prices in your specific area.
Ready to sell your Southern Oregon home?
The best place to begin your journey is with an experienced real estate agent like Gail Schoeneberg. Gail has extensive experience and knowledge, including marketing financing and buyer and seller representation in the Southern Oregon market. Armed with current information about home sales throughout Southern Oregon and a long list of potential homebuyers at the ready, Gail will help you make good decisions to achieve the best price for your home in the timeline you have for selling it.
Contact Gail Schoeneberg today at 541-840-1909. Together, we’ll get your home sold.
