Here are some tips to help you prepare for a winter home sale.

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Selling in the winter has many advantages, so today we're sharing how you can prepare your home for sale during the frostier months.

It's always a good strategy to price your home competitively to make sure you’re getting as many eyes on the listing as possible. Your goal as a seller is to foster competition among buyers by making sure everyone has a chance to see your home and throw their hat in the ring; a bidding war is a surefire way to fetch top dollar for your home. 

In the winter, you need to be especially mindful of weather-related messes in your house. If yours is a hot listing with a ton of traffic, you’ll want a plan for keeping snowy shoes at bay and de-icing your driveway/sidewalk. Before every showing, throw some salt down (the last thing you need is a buyer slipping and falling before they even get to the front door) and clean up your entryway. 

Check that your heating system is 100% functional; it’s one of the first things a home inspector will look at in the winter. Even before then, buyers will be able to tell if your house is drafty, or if the furnace isn’t kicking on the way it should be. If you have a window with a broken seal, a door that’s not closing properly, or weather stripping that needs to be replaced, it will need to be addressed right away if you plan to have your home on the winter market.

The winter sky can be pretty dreary here, so it’s important that your home appears bright and inviting. Replace the bulbs in all your light fixtures with warm, even light—something as close to natural light as possible. Open your blinds and let in as much outside light as possible during showings; there’s less daylight to work with right now, so make the most of it. 

Here’s an idea: Even if you’re not living in the home you’re selling, you can still ask your agent to bring over a pan and throw some cookies in the oven. Baking before showings just gives the house more of a homey, nostalgic vibe, especially during the holiday season.

Of course, baking cookies isn’t a key requirement, but putting together a solid video tour of your home certainly is. It’s common for people to cancel showings whenever we have a big snowstorm coming in, so still being able to give them a good idea of the floor plan and finishes is critical. 

Selling in the winter is all about timing, proper pricing, preparing for the elements, and making sure your home shows phenomenally. As a seller in the winter market, you’ll have a chance to capture a larger market share of buyers, so do whatever you can to maximize that advantage.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether selling in the winter is right for you, but if you’re ready to get started, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Snyder team.