Contrary to popular belief, Winter is a great time to sell your home.
Why?
There’s normally less property for sale, which means buyers have fewer homes to choose from.
Wait until Spring, and you’ll be up against more competition, as well as under pressure to get a result before the typical Christmas slowdown.
Besides, in Perth, do we really even have a proper Winter?!
In addition to all the usual things you’d do to prepare your home for sale (decluttering, depersonalising, cleaning etc.), here are our Red Fox top 5 tips for selling in the cooler months:
1. First impressions count!
Weeds love Winter, so you’ll need to keep them in check in your lawns and gardens for photos & home opens.
Go heavy on the mulch (putting down newspaper first helps), and give your lawn a mow every now and then.
Rake or sweep up any leaves (sorry!) and add pops of winter colour or more foliage plants if the garden beds are looking bare.
2. 6 months in a leaky boat…
Gutter maintenance (or lack thereof) is obvious in Winter, and buyers will look at any old ceiling stains with extra suspicion.
Replace or repair rusted or leaking gutters where you can, treat any old ceiling stains and repaint where needed.
3. Let there be light!
Overcast skies can make even the brightest room seem gloomy in Winter.
Replace low-watt globes in your light fittings with brighter ones, and consider adding some standing lamps to any dark corners, especially in living areas.
If you don’t already have them, add bedside lamps to side tables in the bedrooms and turn all the lights on for photos, and the home opens.
4. Warm & cosy
There’s nothing worse than walking into a cold home.
If you’ve got heating, make sure you use it before and during the home open. And if you’ve got a gas or working wood heater or fireplace – even better.
Comfy, textured or warm-looking throws or blankets on beds and couches add a cosy feel to your home too. Remember – warm is the goal – not a sauna.
5. Put out the welcome mat!
Or, in this case, mats front and back, to ensure you don’t end up with muddy buyer footprints all over your newly cleaned floors during the home opens. If rain is forecast, consider popping a towel down inside the door too.
Lastly, don’t worry about bad weather affecting the photos.
Sellers mistakenly think that a cloudy Winter’s Day is bad for photography – in fact – the opposite is true.
Unless it’s bucketing down, a bit of rain won’t affect your photos, and your gardens and house colours will look all the brighter for it.
Overcast skies mean there’s far less shadowing and contrast for the photographer to contend with (which means better photos), and those black clouds in the background? Well, it’s wonderful what Photoshop can do – I promise you it will be bright blue by the time it hits the internet 😉
If you’re thinking of selling or just considering your options call or SMS me now at 0405 812 273, and I’ll gladly pop around for a no-obligation, complimentary chat about how I can help.
Image from Crib Creative
