Winter Is Coming: Top Tips For Selling Your House

On the face of it, winter may not seem like the perfect time to put your house on the market. It’s cold, it’s dark and people have the festive season to look forward to, as well as the New Year. However, as property websites such as Rightmove and Zoopla attest to – from boxing day, and really ramping up by the 2nd of January – they see a ‘January traffic spike’ on their websites. In other words, a greater number of potential buyers are visiting their sites, looking for their next home. Therefore, by putting your house on the market in November and December, you’ll be giving yourself time to find a reputable estate agent, have floor plans drawn up, photos taken, and get your all-important EPC, all before the surge in traffic to these websites. Therefore, if you’re looking to sell your home in these winter months, then this blog provides top tips on how to do just that.

A Warm Welcome

On those especially cold days, everyone wants to arrive at a warm, cosy home. When showing potential buyers around, ensure that the heating is on, and point out important features such as real-flame gas fires, log burners and internal heaters that keep your house all nice and toasty.

It’s likely that potential buyers will want to know how your central heating works as well, and the location of radiators, so ensure you refresh yourself on this key information.

Light Up The Dark

If you’re showing viewers around during the afternoon or evening time, then natural daylight is not on your side. This can make it difficult for potential buyers to take a good look at the condition of your house and get a feel for the internal features and decor. Therefore, ensure all rooms are well lit, with table lamps and fairy lights to really help the rooms glow, with the latter working especially well on beams, windows, doorways and porches.

Decoration

Though it’s imperative that you avoid clutter, decorating your home for the festivities is encouraged. A beautiful Christmas tree can make a statement, but only in rooms where it doesn’t make the room appear smaller by squeezing too much into it. Tinsel can make a lounge look stunning, as can external lights.

Clean & Tidy

In terms of keeping the house clear and tidy, now would be a good time to get the carpets clean, as well as washing all windows and metal surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom. If the walls are looking a little worse for wear, then a fresh lick of paint is just the trick, with neutral colours having the best effect. Ensure that all rooms are neat and tidy, with personal belongings stacked neatly in boxes, containers and hidden from plain sight. That’s not to say the house has to look boring. A couple of stylish cushions, rugs and throws can complement the decor of your rooms, making them pop in all directions.

Outside, clean out the gutters, fix any leaky drain pipes and ensure that all outdoor lighting is working effectively.

Keep It Fresh

Because in winter, the windows tend to be opened less and less, this tends to trap odours within the house, such as damp towels and dirt from the outside. Therefore, before any viewings, keep the windows open for an hour beforehand, and then crack up the heating. If the weather is especially bad, then bleeding the radiators will help, and then adding some scented diffusers to emit the spring. It doesn’t harm baking some fresh bread beforehand either – this just smells like home.

Looking for a reputable estate agent to help you sell your home this winter? With our extensive experience within the industry, as well as our friendly approach, you won’t find a better team to help you get your house ready for market, and sell it with passion. To find out more, give us a call today on one of the following numbers, and let’s make this winter your best one yet:

Radcliffe Office: 0161 723 1155

Burnley Office: 01282 427 445

Ramsbottom Office: 01706 48 9966