Ahh, winter! The season of holidays, family gatherings – the time of the year we spend mostly cozied up in our homes. And for those that currently don’t own one, the time to acquire their dream house. There is a common myth circulating out there that properties do not sell in winter. But that’s all it is – a myth. In fact, as a seller, it could be easier to stumble upon buyers during the cold months considering that’s when the competition usually isn’t as fierce. Nevertheless, if the goal is to sell and sell fast, you may want to implement certain winter home staging tips to impress potential buyers.
Winter Home Staging Tips to Impress Potential Buyers That You Are Better Off Sticking To
Don’t despair if you’re just now putting your home on the market! You still have a fair chance of finding buyers, despite the cold weather. And although the outdoor conditions are totally out of your control, the way you present the house isn’t! With the expert home staging advice we’ve got lined up for you, we guarantee the interested parties will be swept off their feet, allowing you to close the deal in no time!
Start By Decluttering
First and foremost, you want to remove all unnecessary items from the premises. While that certainly includes junk, it should also include all personal items and excess furniture. The goal is for the buyers to be able to picture themselves living in the house. And your personal memorabilia could prevent them from accomplishing that.
The property should contain as little furniture as possible. That means you’ll have to find a temporary place for some pieces. Consider moving your furniture to a storage facility, but don’t even think of doing it on your own. Leave heavy lifting to experts, aka professional movers; otherwise, you risk hurting yourself in the process.
Once you’ve opened up the area by removing non-essential furniture from the equation, you’ll want to resort to cleaning the place. Top to bottom! Make sure it’s sparkling clean, and while at it, you could also tackle cosmetic repairs. The focus of cleaning should definitely be the inside of the house. However, the outside shouldn’t be neglected either. For the safety of those visiting, staging your home might also mean shoveling and removing ice from the walkway.
Get In Touch With The Season
You might have heard something about baking cookies being the buyer-attracting tactic, as the smell of freshly baked goods helps promote a ”homey” feel. Well, it’s all the same with equipping the house with candles that smell like ”winter” and season-appropriate greenery like pine boughs.
A list of winter home staging tips to impress potential buyers wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention cranking up the thermostat! With the weather getting particularly cold, you want the visitors to feel comfortable inside. Of course, for you to be able to turn up the heat, the HVAC system should be in working order. Have it inspected and cleaned before the buyers’ arrival.
While it’s crucial for the place to radiate warmth in a physical sense of the word, it’s also essential that it appears ”warm” in an abstract way. To achieve such a feeling, focus on adjusting ambient lighting, and introduce, for example, carpets, pillows, and throws to the area.
Group Up The Furniture
As was said at the beginning, winter is the season of gatherings. That’s why it absolutely makes sense to rearrange the furniture in a way that promotes ”getting together”. Create a conversation area in the living room by bringing the sofa, ottomans, and chairs closer together. Pull them all away from the walls, as well. By doing so, you allow people to navigate through the area more freely.
Pay Special Attention to Lighting
With winter naturally being a gloomy time of the year, having the house properly lit is an absolute must! Check all light sources before showing the place to the visitors to ensure the bulbs are all working. If not, replace them promptly, and leave them on for the duration of the prospective buyers‘ visit.
If you are having the parties visit during the day, the best way to get as much light in as possible is to draw the curtains and invite natural light in. If you are dealing with a particularly dark home, you’ll have to resort to illuminating the place through artificial lighting. Think about adding floor, table, accent lamps, or even all of the mentioned, for the best result!
Stick to The Neutrals
The color scheme present in the house matters – quite a lot! Vivid colors add to the character of a home, but when you want it to sell, you must strip it of them completely! That’s why professional home stagers suggest you stick to neutral colors when looking to appeal to the masses. Those include various shades of white, black, grey, beige, brown, taupe, and more. Have the walls painted in one, or a few, of these hues. Furniture upholstery should, preferably, also fall into the neutral category. Of course, you are free to break the monotony by including colorful decorative details.
Finishing Words
First impressions are of grave importance when selling a home. They are deal breakers – in the literal sense of that word. Should you choose to follow the above-mentioned winter home staging tips to impress potential buyers, we are confident your chances of stumbling upon interested parties fast will increase tenfold. And who knows, you might even find yourself in a situation where multiple people will be fighting to get their hands on your property!
About Gerardo Zavala, Realtor
There is a true passion for connecting people with real estate that makes me fall in love with my career over and over again. While my title says, REALTOR® I think I am much more than that. For example, I am present and actively listening to my client’s needs, on the spot when things are urgent, and by your side to say “congratulations.” Most of my clients will say that I am a connection away from support no matter the situation, day, or time. In my opinion, customer service, educating the client on progress and next steps, and overall satisfaction are my top priorities. How can I help you?
