Selling Your Home This Winter? 4 Tips for Artful Staging

If you decide you want to sell your home after winter has settled in, should you avoid putting it on the market until springtime to increase your chances of finding a buyer? You may have heard this piece of advice before. However, there are actually quite a few perks for sellers in winter. At this time of year, only serious buyers are looking, and the fact that there will be fewer homes on the market means that it’s easier to sell to buyers who need to move by a specific time, such as people relocating for job opportunities.

 

Yes, you’ll have to put some extra effort into staging your home, but with a festive, seasonal touch, your house will look even more welcoming. Here’s how to draw in prospective buyers as the days get shorter and the temperature drops.

 

Boost Curb Appeal

 

Maybe the trees around your house are already bare, and a recent snowfall has left your property looking muddy. Upmarket Agent suggests that boosting your home’s curb appeal is key to selling in the winter. Clean out your gutters, rake the lawn, and shovel your driveway.

 

In the weeks before your home goes on the market, consider planting a winter flower garden. It may be chilly outside, but nature finds a way, and some hardy flowers like witch hazel, holly, and Japanese pieris bloom during the winter. A flower garden can definitely make your home stand out during the holiday season.

 

Tasteful Decor

 

Perhaps you like to go all out when it comes to holiday decorating. It’s perfectly fine to leave up some decorations for showings, but if you’re the brightest house on the block, you’ll probably want to tone it down a little. If you have a Christmas tree, make sure that it isn’t taking up too much space, and consider moving it out to the garage for now if necessary. Store any motion-sensitive accessories — you might get a kick out of the singing snowman in the living room, but it could startle your buyers!

 

Minimal, tasteful decor can help buyers envision themselves spending the holidays in your home. For example, pinecones, holly, and a string of white twinkle lights along the mantle is a nice accent.

 

Create a Cozy Atmosphere

 

If you walk into someone’s home when it’s cold and dark out, you want to feel like you’ve found a comfortable refuge from the harsh weather. Make prospective buyers feel this way when they enter your home by taking inspiration from the Danish concept of “hygge,” which is all about cultivating a feeling of coziness and contentment.

 

A couple of seasonal, scented candles will make your home feel warm and inviting. And even if you prefer to keep the heat low during winter, your buyers might not feel the same way, so turn up the thermostat so that the house will be toasty. You can even offer people hot cocoa or warm chocolate chip cookies.

 

Brighten Up the Space

 

Once winter rolls around, it starts to get dark outside much earlier. Try to schedule viewings with this mind, as the sun might begin to set as early as 4 PM, and if the sun is peeking out, keep the curtains open for some natural light.

 

Before you begin showing your home, check out each room during the evening hours. Are there any light bulbs you might need to replace? Take note of any dark corners that could be a good spot for candles or a new lamp. According to Quicken Loans, rearranging furniture or putting up lighter curtains can also brighten a room. And putting a log on the fire before a viewing begins doesn’t hurt, either!

 

Selling your home in the middle of holiday celebrations can definitely be a bit stressful, but you have more advantages than you might realize. And when you find the perfect buyer, you’ll have one more reason to celebrate.

 

Suzie Wilson ⎸info@happierhome.net  ⎸Happier Home