Home Staging to Sell During Winter Months

While the groundhog didn’t see his shadow this year, I can’t help but think we will still face six more weeks of winter here in the Northeast, especially with all the snow still falling making it a challenge to sell your home this winter.
While this is considered the slow season in real estate, it’s actually been quite busy, which puts a seller in the prime position because there is not as many homes on the market now than come spring. And who wants to wait for spring, right? So I want to share with you five tips…well and a few more, on how to prepare your home for sale by home staging in winter.
Tip # 1 Curbing the Snow  The first tip to get your home show ready starts at the curb…it goes without saying that all driveways and walkways around your home should be shoveled and de-iced. This way it’s easy for buyers to access your front door.
Tip # 2 Plant Life Around the Door  Think about ways you can add a little life on this journey up to your doorway. Use a variety of evergreens, spruces or winterberries. In the video, I used a colorful shrub with white sticks to welcome guests. Think about adding potted plants on your porch, an old sleigh or large lanterns. Bonus, make sure to use a cheerful paint color on your door and a decorative winter wreath implying to come on in.
Tip # 3 Shoe-Off  Upon entry…the question becomes: to shoe or not shoe? If you don’t want the outside dragged in by shoes there are really two ways you can handle. Either create a designated place for people to sit and remove their shoes in the entryway. A simple way to do this is to use a long bench with boot trays underneath or the better option would be to buy shoe covers, like these shown in the video for buyers to put over their shoes and make sure to reference your preference on a visible sign for buyers to read, this way you or your agent can refrain from constantly nagging buyers about this request.
Tip # 4 Room for Coats  Remember to have a few hooks or extra space in the front closet for those who want to take off their jackets while touring your house, we want buyers to feel comfortable, especially when they walk into the home.
Tip # 5 It’s Getting Hot In Here  No one likes hanging out in a cold house, so make sure you raise the tempurature to 70 degrees or higher in your home it will allow buyers to forget about the cold and focus on your home. The toasty feel could also keep buyers lingering in the home longer providing enough time for them to fall in love with the space.
Tip # 6 Cozy Up  Creating cozy spaces in your home will relax buyers so turn on the fireplace but just make sure it works and doesn’t leave a smokey smell in the room turning off buyers.
Tip # 7 White on White  Keep winter in mind when accessorizing the space, use birch, evergreens, twigs and winterberries to bring nature in. Use ice skates, skiis or even hunting equipment to display. Bring in metals like gold and silver. Also, don’t forget to drape some throws and furry pillows around the home.
Tip # 8 Window Pains  Light is important during the dreary winter months. Keep windows clean, drapes and shades open. Use light colored, but textured curtains, like off white velvet. Infact use decor that is lighter, mixing different color whites is totally acceptable. And you want to make sure when showing you have all your lights on regardless off day or night.
Try these tips today and you could be sold come spring and ready for a brand new beginning. If you liked this video please comment below and let me know what how you plan on preparing your home for sale this winter.
Please remember to share this article with a friend, and click here to Get Daily Motivation on Facebook. Are you a tweetie bird instead? Well, share a Quotable from this video: “Staging your home during the winter months can boost your chances to receiving an offer.” @toritothstager
Happy Selling,