Selling your home in the winter might not have been your first choice. Whether you need to move for a new job, you’re downsizing, or you’ve run into an unexpected circumstance that requires you get your house on the market now, know that you can still sell your home in the winter. It might take a little more effort on your part, but it’s certainly still doable. If you’re planning to sell your home in the winter, here are a few tips to help you sell quickly, and for the best possible offer.
Keep Holiday Decorations to A Tasteful Minimum
You do want to make your home as warm and as inviting as possible, but many buyers are turned off by excessive holiday decorations. First, everyone decorates differently. Second, your buyers may not celebrate the same holidays as you. The goal of any home buyer is to be able to see themselves in the new home. Keep your decorations to a cheery minimum so that your potential buyers can imagine what their own decorations might look like. We recommend a few lights outside, and a tasteful wreath on the front door.
Keep Your Walk Shoveled
First impressions are everything. You don’t want your buyer’s first impression of your home to be a slippery walk up to the front door. Do your best to stay on top of the snow, and make sure you’re putting salt down regularly to stave off any ice. A shoveled walk tells buyers that you care about your home and property and that you care about their first impression, too.
Make Sure to Turn On Outdoor and Dimension Lights
Winter, especially here in Michigan, is a pretty dark time. When the sun goes down around 4:30, you need to make sure potential buyers can still see your home in its best light. Remember to keep as many of your outdoor lights on as possible. If you have dimension or landscaping lights, keep those on too. The brighter your home looks, the more likely buyers are to notice its charm.
Pay Extra Attention to the Interior
Since your buyers aren’t going to be spending much time outside checking out the yard or the home’s exterior, they’re going to put extra focus on the inside of your home. You want it to really shine. When you’re getting ready to show your home, make sure you go the extra mile by cleaning out the grout between tiles and fixing up any of those little issues, like the bedroom door that doesn’t quite close or the closet lightbulb thats pull-chain is too short. By paying attention to and fixing these tiny details, you can ensure your potential buyers have the best possible experience in your home.
Prepare for Lower Offers
Unfortunately, winter home sales are known for being slightly lower than sales for the rest of the year. While you don’t have to settle for a lowball offer, do prepare to see some lower offers during the winter. While buyers might still make good offers, they probably won’t have the punch you might see in the spring or summer.
Know that Closing May Take Longer
With the holidays breaking up the winter, closing often takes much longer. Many lenders take holidays off, employees are out to spend time with family, and more. This adds to the time it takes to get all the necessary paperwork in order to close your home. If you’re selling your home in the winter, be sure to account for that additional processing time that the holidays will add.
Remember that Winter Buyers Mean Business
Finally, it’s important to remember that while selling a home in the winter isn’t ideal, the good thing is those winter buyers mean business. You don’t have to worry too much about people who are “just looking.” If people are touring your house in the dead of December, they’re motivated, and they’re motivated to buy soon. Though there are some drawbacks to selling in the winter, you can at least keep in mind that the buyers who do show up probably have a legitimate interest in your home and are likely to make an offer.
Winter can be a tough time to sell a home, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible! If you’ve run into unexpected circumstances, and need to sell your home as quickly as possible this winter, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Renewed Homes team. We can make you a fair cash offer based on the market value of your home, or we can provide you with a few additional options to help you get out from under your troublesome home as quickly as possible. Whatever you need, we’re here to help.
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