Winter and Christmas may not seem like a good time to put your house on the market. It’s cold, it’s dark and people have family time to look forward to, as well as the New Year celebrations. However, property marketing portals such as Rightmove indicate that there is in fact a ‘January traffic spike’ on their websites, commencing on Boxing Day.
If you’re looking to sell your property in the winter months, here are our top tips to get you moving!
Clean And Tidy
Give the kitchen and bathroom a deep clean as these are areas that buyers pay special attention to, and consider replacing old sealant around the bath to freshen it up. If some of the walls are looking a little worse for wear, then a fresh lick of paint is just the trick, with neutral colours having the best effect. Ensure that all rooms are neat and tidy, without too much clutter.
Outside, sweep any leaves away, clean out the gutters, fix any leaky drain pipes and ensure that all outdoor lighting is working effectively.
A Cosy Welcome
On those cold days of winter, everyone wants to arrive at a warm, cosy home. When showing potential buyers around, ensure that the heating is on. Point out important features on your marketing material such as real-flame gas fires and log burners that keep your house cosy.
It’s likely that potential buyers will want to know how your central heating works, a gas safe engineer can check this for you (read more here: Gas Safety When Selling Your Property) and when it was fitted, so ensure you have given your estate agent this information.
Keep It Fresh And Cosy
In winter we usually open windows less and less, which tends to trap odours within the property. Before viewings, open the windows for 15 minutes to allow the fresh air in and old air out. But in line with our previous point, don’t do this for too long due to the cold!
If you are really keen then add some scented diffusers to emit the warming aroma of gingerbread perhaps, a wonderful winter classic. Or perhaps bake some gingerbread biscuits for your viewers, these are sure to bring a smile!
Make It Shine
When showing viewers around during the afternoon or evening, natural daylight is not on your side. This can make it difficult for potential buyers to take a good look at the condition of your house and get a feel for the internal features and decor. Ensure all rooms are well-lit, by checking all bubs are working and perhaps adding table lamps or fairy lights to really help the rooms glow.
Festive Decoration
You want to avoid clutter as much as possible but carefully decorating your home for the festivities can create a welcoming space for families especially. A beautiful Christmas tree can make a statement, but be careful when selecting your tree as you don’t want to make the room appear smaller by squeezing too much into it. Adding a lovely winter wreath to your front door is a great way to stand out and is a welcoming seasonal feature.
Important!! - Make sure you take your marketing photos before the decorations go up, otherwise you will quickly have outdated photos if your property is still available in January.
