Even in cold, snowy, or icy weather, real estate professionals can do a lot to make a property more appealing to potential buyers. After all, 50 percent of real estate professionals surveyed say that staging a home before a sale increases the amount of an offer by from 1 to 10 percent—and that was regardless of the season, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ “2017 Profile of Home Staging” report.
Here are a few tips for winter staging:
1. Turn up the heat. Make sure the temperature inside is cozy for enticing buyers to stay in the home longer.
2. Watch the smell. When a home is closed up for the winter and smells start to linger, it’s important to create scent appeal. Consider simmering cinnamon for a warming, pleasant aroma to increase a home’s attractiveness during colder months. Avoid air fresheners or other artificial scents that could make buyers suspicious, cautions an article from The Washington Post.
3. Don’t forget curb appeal. The grass may not be green and flowers may not be in full bloom, but that doesn’t mean an exterior should be neglected. Ensure leaves are swept away and branches are well trimmed, and look for ways to add color, such as an evergreen shrub in a pot. Also, tall grasses, like fountain grasses, tend to survive even in the harshest winters, and plants from the cabbage family can add a vibrant purple color to the curb.
4. Keep clear paths. If the ground is covered in snow, the simplest and most important thing you can do is shovel the driveway and sidewalks and keep the home’s patios and decks as clear as possible so buyers can get a sense of their true size.
5. Have mats for wet shoes. Place mats outside and inside to catch any dirt or snow from shoes.
6. Use lots of light. There’s less daylight in the winter months, so it’s even more important to keep all the lights on and open up blinds for natural light. Switch to brighter lightbulbs. Clean light fixtures. Keep the home well lit even when you’re not there so the home still looks inviting to passersby who see the home in the evenings.
Source: “Tips to Help Sell Your Home in the Winter,” The Washington Post (Feb. 18, 2019)
