Real Estate

Tips for Selling a Home in Winter

The weather can be a deterrent to home buyers. Here's how to make the most of a house on the market in winter.

It's cold outside, the snow is falling and the yard looks dead. If you are trying to sell a home in winter, Mother Nature can seem to be working against you.

And yet, homes do sell at this time.

How do you make the most of a house for sale during the winter months? Milford Patch asked  and Carolyn Hildebrand, a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty, for some tips.

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Here's what Lioce suggested: 

1. Always keep your driveways and walkways shoveled and cleared of snow and ice. 

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2. When you know you have a showing and it will be later in the day, be sure to turn on ALL the lights in your home, including the exteriors. During the winter when showings are happening at darker hours, it is truly helpful for, not only the broker, but the buyer to pull into a home that is well lit. Also, walking in the home and having it bright and open will help the buyers immediate have their attention turn to viewing the home and not stumbling around looking for light switches. 

3. Keep the heat up a little...have it so when there is a showing, it is NICE and warm. Have a woodstove, or gas fireplace? Have it on and running for warmth and ambiance!

These three items will help ensure your home is in its best possible state during a time when it will look its worst from the outside. Remember, buyers who are looking during the cold winter months are very serious buyers and all efforts should be made to get your home in its best possible condition for prospective buyers when they walk through.  Your homes next showing could very well be its next owners!

Here's what Hildebrand said she tells her sellers:

1. Keep driveway, walkway, and entry clear of ice and snow.

2. If they use ice melt or sand, keep a mat inside the door or post a note to remove shoes to minimize buyers tracking it into the house.

3. Be mindful of snow and ice building up on the roof creating potential ice dams.  They are unattractive and can cause buyers to worry about roof issues that may not even exist.

4. Winter tends to make homes appear darker, it's important to have the blinds /curtains open to allow lots of light. Be certain to clean the windows for best presentation.


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