Top Tips For Selling Your House During Winter

Whilst many consider the winter – particularly the run-up to Christmas – to be a time that’s best spent relaxing and unwinding before a fresh start in the new year, many see this period as a fantastic time to sell their homes, with less competition on the market during this time of year. The start of the new year is always a busy period for potential buyers looking to move, but the period just before that, from November onwards, is a great time for sellers to start getting involved in the market, with their homes facing less competition in their local areas, therefore allowing them to hold out for a better price than they would in the following months. 

In this post, you’ll be able to find Jon Simon’s top tips for selling your house in the winter, so read on to give yourself the best chance of putting up a ‘sold’ sign before the year is out!

How Can You Sell Your House?

The most important step in the process of selling a house is knowing the methods of selling that are available, both online and in person. It goes without saying, but the most effective, efficient, and secure way to sell a house is by working with an estate agency. By doing this, you give yourself peace of mind knowing that you’re working with people who are experts in the property market, and that you’re being kept safe and secure throughout the process. It’s also worth noting that most prospective buyers will start their search by contacting estate agents or letting agents, so this is always a good place to start.

When you start working with your chosen estate agency, you’ll almost certainly be given a huge amount of information about the agency, their expertise in the property market, and their knowledge of the area your house is situated within. Be sure to take all of this information in as these people have a vast amount of experience in the industry and will know exactly how to help you.

One of the first steps that you’re likely to encounter is the valuation – this is the process of determining the kind of price that you can expect to receive from selling your house. Usually, this is a fairly simple process. However, during the COVID pandemic, certain regulations need to be followed. The COVID guidelines will be provided by your estate agency, giving you all the information you need before prospective buyers and letting agents visit the property. Before the COVID-19 situation, virtual viewings had started to become increasingly popular, but since lockdown regulations have been introduced in the UK, these online property viewings have seen numbers skyrocket. This is because these viewings provide the highest level of safety to people viewing your home given the current COVID regulations. This winter, make sure that you’re doing a thorough clean before any person visits your house for a viewing appointment, keep your social distance from people, and ensure the spread of COVID is minimised.

The current COVID-19 guidelines surrounding house viewings are as follows:

• Initial viewings should be virtual if possible to reduce the level of contact between different people.
• Physical viewings should involve people from no more than two separate households.
• Suitable face coverings must be worn.
• All viewings must be appointment-only to assist with Track and Trace systems. 
• All internal doors should remain open during the viewing. 
• Surfaces and door handles should be thoroughly cleaned after each use.
• If possible, home owners should vacate the property whilst the viewing takes place.
• Social distancing guidelines must be adhered to at all times.

What Makes Selling Your Home In The Winter Different?

The winter can be a tough time to showcase all that your home has to offer when potential buyers visit – you may struggle to show off your garden due to the dull and drab weather, and the early darkness tends to eliminate the opportunity to show off natural light shining through the windows. With that in mind, it’s important to be able to identify what prospective buyers are going to be looking for in the winter; the season can often have an impact on this, whether that be purposely or subliminally, so be sure to have a think about this and utilise it to your advantage.

No matter if you’re operating virtual viewings (which are preferred by letting agents during the COVID pandemic) or physical viewings, you’ll want to make sure you’re making your house seasonally appealing. One way to do this can be through smells – you’ll find that the scent of a house can make it so much more appealing to the person viewing it, so we recommend lighting some festival candles around your home before an appointment. 

Another major factor is hygiene and cleanliness – during the winter we see a lot more examples of infectious viruses being passed around, usually the flu, but in the case of 2020, much worse due to the prominence of the coronavirus. Whilst you’ll have to take note of and enforce the public health advice on home moves, try to go above and beyond that and have your kitchen surfaces sparkling, bathroom gleaming, and bedrooms in top condition before your viewing appointments.

Whilst it can be difficult to properly showcase your outdoor spaces such as gardens and patios, you can still ensure that they’re as presentable as possible before an appointment with a potential viewer. To do this, ensure the grass is well trimmed, leaves are cleared up, and any patio furniture is safely away in storage, as the winter can take a huge toll on the condition of these items. If feasible, try to trim back overhanging branches too as this will allow as much light into your garden as possible whilst also helping to make the space feel larger and more open.

One major advantage that the winter presents is the opportunity to decorate with festive decorations, but remember: no clutter! Try to make things cosy with your decorations rather than overbearing – everybody loves a comfy Christmas living room, but you don’t want the festivities to detract from the qualities of your house.

How Can Jon Simon Estate Agents Help You?

JonSimon Estate Agents are experts in buying and selling homes, with particular expertise in Burnley, Bury, Radcliffe, and Ramsbottom, giving us fantastic coverage of the North Manchester region. With over 10 years in the estate agency business, JonSimon Estate Agents have a group of localised teams, each specialising in the area that they operate in, providing fantastic support and insight from the first meeting to the closing of your sale.

With the help of a trusted estate agent such as JonSimon Estate Agents, much of the stress associated with buying and selling a house is removed to leave you feeling calm, appreciated, and taken care of, before, during and after your move. The flexibility offered by our team allows you to find a way to sell that suits you, with our expert local teams giving you a fantastic position in the housing market that’s sure to make your listing one of the most appealing around.

Therefore, if you’re looking to sell your home this winter and are located in areas including Bury, Burnley, Radcliffe or Ramsbottom, contact us today to learn more about how we can help you to sell your home, or alternatively start the process of buying your dream home today.