Winter is here, but that’s no reason to stop selling. Tougher conditions are likely to make homeowners dissatisfied with their current home. Once they start browsing some attractive new listings, that’s when it’s your job to catch their eye.
Since you’re selling in a traditional off-season, your approach should be different too. Here are five tips for closing a home sale this Winter.
Make sure the house is heated properly
If it’s cold outside, then it should be warm inside. It seems like this goes without saying, but the obvious chores are sometimes the most neglected. Make sure the heating systems in the house are working properly during the home inspection. You can even walk through the house yourself to make absolutely sure it’s temperate throughout.
You and your open house guests will not only be more comfortable in a warm house, but buyers will be more likely to make the deal if they know their new home will be heated properly during the winters they’re living in it.
Beware of ice
The last thing you want is buyers slipping on their way to your open house. In the winter, even if you’ve cleared your driveway and walkway from snow, ice can still cling to the stone; it’s even more dangerous because it’s harder to spot.
Salt-based ice melts can be bought at home supply stores. Clearing out ice is a cheap investment that could save you and/or your clients from a terrible accident.
Take advantage of the season
Instead of treating the season like it’s an inconvenience, turn it into a marketing boon for your listing. Property listings depend on visual marketing, and winter is great for adding mood and beauty to photos.
If the property has some trees, emphasize them and their beautiful icey branches in the picture. Drape the house in holiday decorations. Stage a photo-op of your kids having a snowball fight in the backyard. All of these will catch eyes and give buyers a sense of what their new home is like during the coldest months of the year.
Know what the property is like year-round
You should be able to speak to what the listing is like when it’s not Winter too. The season only takes up three months of the year, and buyers will want to know what the house is like the majority of the time. On top of the winter advertising, you can also use pictures of the house during the other three seasons. If open house tourers want to know what the house is like in spring or summer weather, make sure you have an answer.
Go virtual
The winter weather can interrupt or cancel appointments and open houses are no exception. Thankfully, there’s a way to bypass this with virtual open houses. You host a session at a specific time and then take the watchers through a guided, virtual tour of the house, documented via extensive photographs and videos. On top of the other benefits this process grants, your potential buyers will appreciate not having to drive through a blizzard.