Selling Your Home In The Winter? Don't Forget These Important Tips!

While winter is typically considered a quieter season for Real Estate, there are still so many benefits to listing your home. Not only is there less inventory on the market, which means less competition for your home, but it also tends to attract more serious buyers than in the busier season. If the thought of listing in the winter feels overwhelming, here are some great tips to get you started. 

Safety First

With buyers coming to your home, winter safety should be at the top of your list. Make sure all walkways are shovelled, salted and clear of snow, mud, ice or other hazards. Winter conditions are also variable in Ontario. It could be bright and sunny one minute and the next a complete whiteout with snow squalls or freezing rain. Be prepared and have plenty of salt on hand so that all walkways are clear so buyers and agents can safely make their way around your home. 

Landscape and Curb Appeal are Still Important

That said, landscape and curb appeal are still very important in winter. Unlike the summer months, sellers cannot lean on vibrant green lawns or beautiful flower beds to give your exterior that WOW factor. While we would like to think that snow will cover the dormant exterior, it isn’t always reliable either. 

While you can dress up your home with wintery wreaths or baskets of evergreen plants, keeping your property groomed and well-maintained will go a long way when selling in the winter. Make sure your property is clear of dead leaves and plant life, sticks and twigs that may have blown over during a windstorm. Also, remove any patio furniture, building materials and garden tools that can create clutter. 

Emphasize Lighting

It gets dark much earlier in the winter, particularly after daylight savings takes effect. This can detract from the beautiful natural light your home may get the rest of the year, so you should take extra measures to ensure that your home is bright and well-lit. Outdoor lighting is tremendously helpful, as it tends to be the most difficult to see in the evening. Add additional lighting to showcase your home’s best-selling features and create a cozy winter atmosphere. If you are unsure how to help brighten your home, talk to your Professional Home Stagers. 

Make Sure Your Furnace Has a Clean Bill of Health

It’s no secret that Canadian winters can get quite cold and treacherous. So while having a functioning and reliable furnace is always important for buyers, you can guarantee that it is top of mind for them when you are selling in the winter. A great way to showcase the reliability of your furnace is to have it serviced before selling, so you can provide that clean bill of health when requested. 

Keep Your Home Warm During Showings

With that said, while buyers are braving the elements looking for their next home, they will be extra attentive to how warm your home can be when the temperatures plummet. So even if you tend to be conservative with your heating, it is important to keep your home nice and warm during showings, so the buyers know that the house can maintain a comfortable temperature. 

Keep Your Entryway Clear

Canadians know all too well that the biggest clutter hub in the winter tends to be the entryways. Bundling up and being prepared for whatever weather conditions may bring is a winter necessity, but it can create additional clutter from a buyer’s perspective. They, too, may be clad in thick winter jackets and boots they will want to shed before walking around your home. Make sure that your entryway is set up for buyers when they arrive–this can mean tucking away your unused winter gear in a closet or your trunk before a showing. You will want to limit as many distractions as possible from those extremely valuable first impressions of your home. 

Keep Your Home Clean and Staged

On the topic of keeping things clean and clear, keeping your home clean and staged is very important during the winter months, and you may need to put in a bit of extra effort, as we all know the winter can be messy. This is especially true if you have pets and children who can track in salt, dirt and snow in their day-to-day lives. Keeping a basket of cleaning products that you can quickly wipe away any wintery messes and keeping your home staged will help give your home that much-needed glowing first impression. 

Don’t skip on hiring a Professional Staging Team who can showcase your home in the best way possible and help you navigate keeping a clean and staged home while it is on the market. Expert stagers know precisely what buyers are looking for and can tailor their approach to your home’s layout and selling features. 

The Importance of Excellent Photography & Videography

Let’s face it, it can take much convincing to bundle up, brave the snowy roads and visit a home. While this is great news for sellers, as buyers are much more serious, it also emphasizes the importance of Exceptional Marketing. Having flawless photos and videos will help more people fall in love with your home and make them more eager to brave the frightful weather to visit it in person. In nearly all cases, buyers will view your home online before anywhere else, so having marketing that is on point is essential. 

Work With an Expert Real Estate Team

Since we are talking about Exceptional Marketing, make sure that you choose a Real Estate Team that will go full out^® for the sale of your home. In our current Real Estate market, you deserve to work with a team who will go above and beyond to ensure that the entire process is stress-free from start to finish. 

At Faris Team, we offer complimentary Home Staging so your home will look its best at any time of year. Not only that, but we also handle Professional Photography and Videography that will help your home stand out from the competition. Our team knows you only get one chance at a great first impression, and we are ready to WOW those potential buyers. 

Not only that, but our Professional, Loving, Local Realtors^® know your local Real Estate market better than anyone and will give you the Professional Guidance you need for an End-to-End, Stress-Free Real Estate Experience. Our mission is to provide the Best Real Estate Experience in the World because our clients deserve nothing short of the Best Experience Guaranteed.

Are you ready to begin your Best Real Estate Experience? Our Professional, Loving, Local Realtors^® will go full out for you^®.

Call us today at 1.888.918.6570, or send us an email.

There’s absolutely NO OBLIGATION. Consultations with our team of experts are FREE.