Marketing Your Home In Winter
There’s a chill in the air, the trees are past their peak, and Thanksgiving is in the rear-view mirror: it’s nearly winter! The colder months have traditionally been a tough time to sell a home, but the pandemic has changed a lot of things. In the intense seller’s market of 2021, there’s no longer a “slow season” for real estate.
So if you’re thinking of selling your house this winter or hoping to snag your dream home, what do you need to know about winter real estate?
The “Slow Season” may be a thing of the past - but that doesn’t mean selling a home in the winter won’t be a little more challenging.
With housing inventory at historic lows and demand at record highs, sellers are getting above asking price for homes that might have languished on the market a few years ago. Bidding wars, homes selling in days if not hours, and cash buyers willing to go above asking price even for houses that need work are the new normal in the era of COVID. The winter cold that used to hold buyers at bay isn’t slowing them down anymore, but there are still a few obstacles that might make selling a home take a little longer.
The holiday season is a distraction for both buyers and sellers. Most people don’t want to spend their Christmas packing regardless of how hot the market is. Even with the extreme seller’s market, we still expect to see a slow down between Thanksgiving and New Years. What remains to be seen is whether the historically slow month of February (60 days on average from listing to accepted offer) will remain slow in 2022. The cold and snow seem to be less of a deterrent during the pandemic than they were in the past.
The good news for sellers; less competition means that motivated buyers are more likely to view their home.
There’s good news for house hunters; folks listing their home in the winter are generally pretty motivated to sell. While buyers will have fewer options, they’ll also have less competition. This doesn’t mean buyers can get away with a low-ball offer, but they might be able to avoid the upward spiraling bidding wars that have defined the pandemic housing market.
Make sure the house is a winter wonderland - not a winter wipe-out zone.
Selling a home in the winter requires a little extra care and attention. If there’s snow on the ground, make sure walkways are shoveled and salted; this can save a seller from both extra cleaning and litigation if a realtor or potential buyer were to slip on their property. In Tennessee and many other states, homeowners are held liable for falls that happen on their property due to improperly cleared and de-iced walkways.
Even in Nashville where snow is only occasional, the ground tends to be muddy and winter boots with deep treads are particularly good at tracking in muck. Investing less than $50 in a set of indoor and outdoor door mats will limit the snow and dirt tracked into a beautifully staged home. An umbrella stand and box of disposable shoe covers (less than $8 for 50 pairs) are the perfect finishing touches to a floor-saving winter entryway setup.
Seasonal nostalgia and a sense of coziness can help sell a home.
The short days and weak sunlight of the winter months can make even an otherwise cheery home look a little dim. A good realtor will try to schedule showings during the limited hours of strong daylight, but sellers will still want to upgrade their lighting to keep the house looking warm and bright. Changing out lightbulbs for brighter ones will not only keep the house looking warm and cheery, but will also help get eye-catching listing photos.
Create a sense of comfort and warmth inside the home. Keep the thermostat at 68-70 degrees during showings and consider adding some cozy accessories like throw blankets. If they like to decorate for the holidays, sellers shouldn’t be afraid to leave up some string lights or seasonal decor a little longer than they might otherwise; it can help buyers imagine spending their own holidays snuggled in their new home. Just be sure to keep it tasteful and minimal so that they can see past the tinsel to the house’s best features.
Finally, appeal to house hunters’ sense of smell with some seasonal scents. As with holiday decor, seller will want to use a light hand when it comes to fragrance. Strong air fresheners can make buyers suspicious that the seller is trying to cover an unpleasant odor that belies some fault with the house. A subtle scented candle or adjustable air freshener is a great, low-effort option to add fragrance. For an even subtler and more nostalgic effect, some realtors will bake a tray of slice-and-bake cookies just before the open-house to fill the kitchen with the scent of fresh baked sweets. A shot glass with a little vanilla extract in it will have the same effect when placed in a low oven if actually baking is too inconvenient for busy sellers.
Another option that’s becoming increasingly popular is a simmer pot. Simmer pots are exactly what they sound like: a pot of simmering water with fragrant ingredients like citrus peel and spices to fill the home with the comforting scent of a favorite winter recipe. Whether using a slow cooker or stovetop, sellers should make sure to add water as needed so that the nostalgic scent of apple cider doesn’t become the alarming odor of burning cinnamon sticks. This article from Apartment Therapy has several seasonal simmer pot recipes to try.
Help buyers envision life in the home throughout the year.
Appealing to nostalgia and creating a cozy setting can go a long way, but buyers want to know what living in the home will be like year round. Potential sellers who are thinking of listing their home this winter should get the best DIY exterior shots they can before the snow comes. Worst case scenario, the photos get deleted if the sellers decide not to list or get professional photos done through their realtor. Best case, they have clear exterior shots that are unobscured by snow so that buyers can get a better idea of what the home and landscaping looks like year round.
Learn from our seller’s real world winter success story.
One of our savvy sellers went above and beyond when listing their home last winter and reaped the rewards. Not only did they choose a smart listing price that inspired a bidding war, they created a binder of information about their home and neighborhood to help buyers visualize what life would be like if they bought the house. They included monthly utility bills, a list of all the plantings on the property and when each would bloom (including pictures) throughout the year, and a page highlighting the home’s best features. They also included a list of their favorite spots to eat, shop, and relax in the neighborhood to give potential buyers a more holistic vision of what life in their home would be like.
In the end, they sold their house for not only more than listing price, but more than they had hoped to get for it. The happy buyers entered their new home knowing what to expect from the neighborhood and house and our sellers walked away with more money to invest in the next part of their journey.
Ready To Sell Your Home? Get In Touch!
Whether you’re selling or buying, don’t let the winter cold intimidate you. The chilly months that used to be thought of as the “off season” are full of opportunity for savvy sellers and buyers alike. With a little attention to detail, you can reach your real estate goals any time of year. If you want help selling your home this winter, reach out to Zelda with Nashville Real Estate Rockstars at Benchmark.