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Staging Tips For Selling In Winter

Casey O'Neal

Casey believes that educating a client and building trust is the best way to overcome fears and apprehension...

Casey believes that educating a client and building trust is the best way to overcome fears and apprehension...

Oct 24 8 minutes read

Most people think that the best time to sell a home, particularly here in the D.C. area, is in the spring or summer. Naturally, with flowers in bloom, and greenery in the trees, your home can be more attractive than in the winter when the trees are bare, and the flowers are gone. That doesn’t mean you can’t sell in the winter. Don’t despair if a situation arises that makes it necessary to sell your home in the winter. Staging just may be a bit more of a challenge then.

One problem with winter is that it comes with so much “stuff”. Heavier and more clothes are needed, and the footwear can be quite cumbersome. When your home is for sale, you will need to keep after this. Instead of hanging all the coats, scarves and hats in the hall closet, you may need to keep some of them in the bedroom closets. That goes for the boots and overshoes, too. The extra steps required will be worth it. Leave a couple of empty hooks or hangers in the hall closet for people who are viewing your home. The fact that there is room sends the message that the house has plenty of closet space.

When you are staging for sale, you need to keep the area around entrances neat and clean. Snow shovels, blowers, and other paraphernalia should be kept in a shed, the garage, or somewhere that isn’t readily visible. If you need to keep a container of salt or sand handy for icy weather, find an attractive container with a lid, so it looks like part of the decor.

This segues nicely into the topic of snow removal. It is important that you keep the walkways nicely scraped of snow and ice. Use a liberal hand with sand or salt to keep them clear. Safety, of course, is the first reason for this. If people are viewing your home, you don’t want them to slip and fall. Keeping the walks clear, though, also helps with the appearance of things. It can give your property a well manicured look.

Another place where safety is an issue is the entrance into your home. When people come into the hallway or entrance, they should not have to worry about slipping on a floor that is wet from snow and ice being tracked in. Be sure to have a nice mat at the entrance. As a matter of fact, it would be good to have two, a doormat outside before they enter, and a nice attractive one inside the door. These things are inexpensive, and they are important to a well staged home.

If your home is on the market around the holidays, a moderate amount of festive decoration is acceptable. Keep it simple and attractive. Lights lining certain features of the house, and/or the walkways can lend a nice ambience to the appearance.

Taking pictures in the winter can be tricky, too. If you don’t have pictures of the house in the spring or the summer, or even in the fall when the leaves are a pretty color, you’ll have to stage things. Taking a picture right after an attractive snow can be great. Otherwise, you could string lights in the branches of the trees to jazz things up a bit and take a night shot.

There are some things that are required in any season. A good paint job is one of them. Another thing is to be sure everything is in proper running order. All the appliances should be functioning, all the plumbing and such should be in good repair, and all the light switches should work. Lighting is important in the dull days of winter. You want things to look cheery.

Finally, don’t think that selling in the winter means losing out on the price of your home. You don’t need to accept the first lowball offer that comes in. The Casey O’Neal Team of agents can help you with setting a fair price, and we can advise you on ways to stage your home to attract buyers, no matter which season it is.

Most people think that the best time to sell a home, particularly here in the D.C. area, is in the spring or summer. Naturally, with flowers in bloom, and greenery in the trees, your home can be more attractive than in the winter when the trees are bare, and the flowers are gone. That doesn’t mean you can’t sell in the winter. Don’t despair if a situation arises that makes it necessary to sell your home in the winter. Staging just may be a bit more of a challenge then.

One problem with winter is that it comes with so much “stuff”. Heavier and more clothes are needed, and the footwear can be quite cumbersome. When your home is for sale, you will need to keep after this. Instead of hanging all the coats, scarves and hats in the hall closet, you may need to keep some of them in the bedroom closets. That goes for the boots and overshoes, too. The extra steps required will be worth it. Leave a couple of empty hooks or hangers in the hall closet for people who are viewing your home. The fact that there is room sends the message that the house has plenty of closet space.

When you are staging for sale, you need to keep the area around entrances neat and clean. Snow shovels, blowers, and other paraphernalia should be kept in a shed, the garage, or somewhere that isn’t readily visible. If you need to keep a container of salt or sand handy for icy weather, find an attractive container with a lid, so it looks like part of the decor.

This segues nicely into the topic of snow removal. It is important that you keep the walkways nicely scraped of snow and ice. Use a liberal hand with sand or salt to keep them clear. Safety, of course, is the first reason for this. If people are viewing your home, you don’t want them to slip and fall. Keeping the walks clear, though, also helps with the appearance of things. It can give your property a well manicured look.

Another place where safety is an issue is the entrance into your home. When people come into the hallway or entrance, they should not have to worry about slipping on a floor that is wet from snow and ice being tracked in. Be sure to have a nice mat at the entrance. As a matter of fact, it would be good to have two, a doormat outside before they enter, and a nice attractive one inside the door. These things are inexpensive, and they are important to a well staged home.

If your home is on the market around the holidays, a moderate amount of festive decoration is acceptable. Keep it simple and attractive. Lights lining certain features of the house, and/or the walkways can lend a nice ambience to the appearance.

Taking pictures in the winter can be tricky, too. If you don’t have pictures of the house in the spring or the summer, or even in the fall when the leaves are a pretty color, you’ll have to stage things. Taking a picture right after an attractive snow can be great. Otherwise, you could string lights in the branches of the trees to jazz things up a bit and take a night shot.

There are some things that are required in any season. A good paint job is one of them. Another thing is to be sure everything is in proper running order. All the appliances should be functioning, all the plumbing and such should be in good repair, and all the light switches should work. Lighting is important in the dull days of winter. You want things to look cheery.

Finally, don’t think that selling in the winter means losing out on the price of your home. You don’t need to accept the first lowball offer that comes in. The Casey O’Neal Team of agents can help you with setting a fair price, and we can advise you on ways to stage your home to attract buyers, no matter which season it is.

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