Tips For Selling Your Home In Winter

With Christmas only just around the corner (how fast has it come this year?!) and the longest day not too far off either we really are falling into winters cold grasp. It’s during these dreary days that your house may sometimes not look at its best, which can be frustrating and even financially damaging when you are trying to sell it. But how can you turn the characteristically dark and slightly depressing days to your advantage when it comes to selling your home? Here are our top tips for selling your house in winter.

Lurot Brand’s Winter Home Selling Tips

1. Make sure the outside of, and entrance to, your property is clean and well maintained

This tip is really applicable all year round but becomes slightly more pertinent during the winter. Whereas in summer it may involve giving your lawn a quick mow in winter it is more about ensuring your garden and house entrance are clean and clear of leaves and muck. If the weather really has closed in it would also be important to ensure the path to your front door, at a minimum, is clear of ice and snow. You may also want to look into placing a few winter plants in your front garden to enhance its appeal. Of course if you like saving your flowerbed space for spring and summer you could always place winter flowers in pots and hanging baskets to bring a flash of colour to the garden. Great plants include Primroses and Pansies whilst an example of a fantastic shrub is Common Dogwood aka ‘Winter Flame.’ As we all know, first impressions are often crucial in any situation but they carry even more weight when it comes to selling your house. A gorgeous and immaculate garden, whatever the weather, goes a long way to giving the correct one.

2. Make it warm and homely

How you should do this will vary depending on whether you are still living in the house or not. Either way you should ensure the thermostat is set to a correct temperature, and early enough for it to actually warm your house thoroughly. If you aren’t living in the house it can be tempting to turn the thermostat down to save on heating costs but this will often be a false economy. True, you will save a few pennies on heating your house but what about the possible sale you may miss because a potential buyer is too cold and therefore doesn’t take to the house?

If you have a gas fire why not turn it on to give the house a particular ambience, the flickering flames will be inviting if it’s dark outside. If you have a real fire, and will be present during the viewing, then go all out and set that going. However, if you have a real fire but won’t be present during the viewing it is probably best (for safety reasons) to not leave it burning. Why not just set up the fire with logs, but don’t set fire to it, it will still give viewers an idea of its potential. If you are planning on using some low lighting, which we would recommend, then make sure the rooms that are to be lit this way are clear of clutter and as spacious as possible. This will create a cosy feeling whilst communicating a spacious feel. If you won’t be around to turn the lights on when they are required you could always set them up on timers.

3. Go The Extra Mile

So you’ve made sure your house and garden is looking immaculate but what else can you do to help your house on its way to that sale? We have a few more little tips for you!

Make the house smell nice – it may seem obvious but a seasonal aroma wafting through the house can be a big plus. You could either make something smelly (cookies or mulled wine are ideal) or you could buy a seasonal air freshener.

Give it a festive feel – if you’re trying to sell over Christmas then why not make your house tastefully festive. A wreath on the door, some holly in the hallway and a Christmas tree are all symbols of a family Christmas and more often than not evoke feelings of happiness and homeliness. Both things you want prospective buyers to feel as they enter your home.

Greet prospective buyers – If you will be there for the viewing you have an unrivalled opportunity to make a fantastic first impression. Offer them a warm drink as they enter and a snack, a mince pie if it’s Christmas maybe? You could also buy some cheap, one size fits all, slippers to leave at your door for them to put on when they enter. Not only will this make them feel like you’ve put the extra effort in but it will also protect your floors from winter dirt.

Follow these tips and you will be doing everything you can to get that sale that you want. Of course you won’t be able to win them all but you will be definitely improving your chances!

Snow covered house:  AndrewEick

Christmas through window: State Farm

Open fireplace: Sam Greenhalgh