Use Winter Wisely

Winter is the perfect time to evaluate the condition and appearance of your house. Get professional help and make changes as needed to improve marketability. Use Winter wisely so the house looks its best when prime selling time begins in the Spring.

If your house has been on the market for a while, or if you’re planning to sell, Winter is the perfect time to evaluate its condition and appearance and make changes. Fewer buyers are actively looking and contractors want Winter work. You can accomplish a great deal without waiting for a place on the schedule, or passing up selling opportunities. Use Winter wisely to prepare for a fresh start so the house looks its best for prime selling time in the Spring.

Thoroughly enjoy the holidays and soon after New Year’s Day, take down the tree and other Christmas decorations. Meticulously clean the house and wash the windows. Perhaps you moved furniture and accessories or stored certain pieces when you set up the tree. Do you really need to bring everything back, or can you make spaces look larger by continuing to store some things? It’s difficult for many sellers to be objective about their house and its shortcomings, and they don’t know how to improve it for maximum appeal to buyers. Before you bring everything back from storage, have a consultation with a professional stager. Staging is affordable for nearly everyone, and is money well spent in any economy.

Winter is also the perfect time to clean and organize your closets and storage areas, including the attic and garage. If they’re crowded, arrange off-site storage. When you take down the exterior decorations, check the condition of the house and note if it needs pressure-washing or painting. Failing paint or a dirty house are announcements of deferred maintenance that will make buyers wonder what else you haven’t done. Don’t think they won’t notice. Some stagers can evaluate the exterior of your house and the landscaping, and suggest color and other changes to add pizzazz.

Once the work is completed, have your agent take new pictures inside and outside, and update your listing information on MLS, on-line and in printed materials. Perhaps she can arrange another caravan so the agents in her office can see what you’ve accomplished, and bring a buyer. If the changes are significant, suggest a newspaper display ad and have another Open House.

Smart Selling Tip:
Winter is the perfect time to evaluate the condition and appearance of your house and make changes. Have a consultation with a professional stager and implement the recommendations so the house looks its best when prime selling time begins in the Spring.