Tips for Seasonal Home Selling
While there might be better times of the year to sell a home than others, sometimes individuals don’t have as much flexibility when it comes to their selling timeline. The good news is, there are pros to selling in every season if you can be strategic about it. Selling a home can be daunting, but if you can work with the features of the current season, you make your home more sellable overall. Here are home selling tips to follow during each specific season.
Winter Season
If you are hoping to sell your home in the winter, you might be discouraged with short days and cold weather. It is important to take inventory of what you love about your home in the winter. These qualities might range from the coziness of the inside of your home to security and safety the exterior of your home grants to your family. It never hurts to spruce up your home for the holidays for a festive feel as well. If you plan to hold open houses in the winter months, you must be sure the exterior is set up safely for visitors. Salt down icy pathways, rake snow off of the roof and use entryways that allow you avoid mud and puddles. If the holiday bustle is in full swing, many people looking for homes might have more flexible schedules to shop around. If you can adjust viewing times outside of traditional hours, you’ll encourage more potential homebuyers to come by, and hopefully, fall in love with your home.
Spring Season
If you are selling your home in spring, the great news is that in many parts of the country, homes can practically sell themselves in this high season. Families are itching to move in the spring, settle down in the summer, and get ready for the school year. There still are additional things you can do to attract more potential buyers, however. Play up the light inside your home to make it feel sunny, open, and airy. Getting the yard looking neat is a good idea since folks might have outdoor activities on the brain and will want to check this out. You can start getting the exterior of your home looking great with a fresh coat of paint, and prune the trees and shrubs for a quick overall upgrade.
Summer Season
Much like the spring, playing up the exterior of your home and letting in light to showcase interiors can both help make your home more inviting. Get that AC running on hot days as this could be a selling feature in your neighborhood. Mention sealed entrances and insulation that might keep your home cool as well. If your property’s location provides easy access to summer activities, you can showcase this as well. Have an info sheet available with fun activities nearby, such as water parks, pools, and festivals. Have summer refreshments during open houses, so guests feel as if they have a nice escape from the warm weather. Encourage prospective buyers to take their time viewing your home. With longer summer days that stay light later, consider extending your open house hours for evening viewings.
Fall Season
Many families hope to settle into their new homes by the time their kids start school in the fall, but there also are potential buyers who just want to settle down. If you find motivated buyers hoping to move immediately, do what you can with your real estate agent to speed the closing process along and ensure prospects that you can move out quickly if necessary. When it comes to showcasing your home for open houses, the fall can be a perfect time to play up seasonal decor and have baked goods available for guests. Potential buyers can more readily see themselves living in a home that’s comfortable and inviting. Commutes times for work and school might be on their minds as well, so be sure to highlight the location if this might be a feature of the property.
While there are pros and cons to selling your home in any season, if you can stack the deck in your favor, you will attract more potential buyers and set your home apart from others on the market. Sometimes sellers cannot control the time of year that they need to sell their home, but this doesn’t mean you should get discouraged, even in colder months. Get your home as ready as you can. Emphasize the season and draw attention to desirable details that someone might be looking for within that particular climate and time of year.