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By Gary Kelley
One of the interesting things about real estate is houses sell every day of the year. Yes, there is seasonality with more houses selling in the spring often driven by school calendars, and you can still sell a house during the holidays with some decent planning.
In the wintertime there are fewer homes on the market to compete when you are selling. Some people take their homes off the market because they don’t want to deal with showings, others don’t want to deal with snow, etcetera making their home dirty.
There are some tricks to use when selling your home. Let’s start with the exterior. Keep all walkways clear up snow and ice and if it’s a miserable winter clear a path to the utilities for the home inspector.
Sunset right now Is 4:16. Put lighting on timers and make the house appears warm and welcoming. Nobody wants to walk into a dark house.
Keep the heat on in the house at a comfortable temperature like 60° if you are not living in the house. People coming in from the outside will likely have jackets on and it will not be uncomfortable being in the home. You certainly don’t want to deal with frozen pipes.
On the interior, you want to keep the house neat and tidy. You must show the house to sell it and you don’t have to make it open house ready every time. Neat and tidy should be sufficient.
If you have children with lots of toys keep a spare laundry hamper around and pour the toys into the hamper. You can then put the hamper in a corner and keep the place looking reasonable.
Your offseason clothes are probably already set aside. Box them up in preparation to move.
If you have holiday plans to entertain at your home, ask your real estate agent to block showings during your party (unless you are willing to have strangers joining your party!)
One thing buyers are always sensitive to is scent. If you are doing a lot of cooking over the holiday, you will want to give time to clear any sense out of the house. What may smell good to you may be offensive to someone else. The universal the universally accepted scent is the smell of clean. (As I write this it is Thanksgiving eve and I’m cooking liver for a pate. That’s not everyone’s “cup of tea”).
When decorating, try to keep it reasonable. Yes, this may be the last set of holidays in your current home. There’s no need to pull out every decoration and put up “one last time.” The truth is your decorations are probably already packed for storage, so keep most of them packed.
When selling a home, the rule of thumb is to keep things generic. Buyers understand you want to celebrate holidays your way. You don’t need to hide your celebration. Just tone it a bit.
And whatever you celebrate (if anything at all), please take time to say something kind to your loved ones and those around you. Just be kind. That’s my wish to you and yours.
Need tools for home search: MoveWithGary.com
Gary is heard on WCRN AM 830 and “All Things Real Estate Podcast” on all the major podcast outlets.
If you need advice on selling your home or buying a new one, give us a call 508-733-6005.
