SIMPLE CHANGES TO INCREASE
SALEABILITY OF YOUR PROPERTY DURING WINTER
For the best chance to sell your
property during the cold and dark winter months it’s important to make your
property stand out, more so than during the spring.
Winter can be cold, dark and wet, which often means properties are
unable to promote some of their best features. By incorporating a few simple
tips, sellers can enhance their property’s look and feel and increase their
chance of attracting an offer.
“The winter months are traditionally
a difficult time for sellers trying to impress buyers with their home. An
inviting atmosphere in these gloomier months is vital and it’s often the
smallest changes to a property that can make it stand out above others. Simple
things such as ensuring the home is warm and well lit can improve saleability
during these cold, dull months and additions such as garden lights to enhance
the entrance to your home can stimulate buyers’ imaginations.
“Practical issues are of importance at this time of year too, with the
dark days highlighting awareness of light and heating costs. With buyers now
concerned more than ever on the running costs of a home; sellers should seek to
highlight any energy saving features which will entice an offer out of buyers.”
Williams Hedge top tips for those marketing their
property during winter are as follows:
First impressions really do count
Winter can often make front gardens and paths look dull and uninviting.
Ensuring these are clean and clear of leaves and dirt can often improve the
attractiveness of the property. Making sure the doorway, entrance stairs or
porch are well lit can help create an inviting home. Giving the front door and
front aspect windows a fresh coat of paint will also help give a great first
impression to buyers.
Warm and friendly
It’s important to make your house feel warm and homely. If a buyer
enters a property that is cold, they’re unlikely to stay long. Ensure the
property is adequately heated before buyers arrive to view the property, even
if it means using the timer to pre-heat your house if you’re at work during a
viewing.
It is also worthwhile highlighting any energy saving features you have
in your home such as double glazed windows, insulation or if you have a
particularly energy efficient boiler. With the cost of running a home ever
increasing, knowing a property is equipped with features that will help save
money will increase the attractiveness to the buyer.
Bright and beautiful
Ensure your home is well lit. This means making sure all of your lights
work including the security lights, before a viewing takes place. If a viewing
takes place during the day, open all of the curtains and blinds to ensure as
much natural light as possible enters the home. This will often add to the
atmosphere and make the home look bright and airy.
Having clean windows will also help light enter the property and allow
buyers to look out into the garden if the weather is bad, portraying a clean
well looked after home.
Clear the garden
Make sure your garden is presentable. This means packing any garden
furniture away if it is inclement weather and clearing leaves and debris from
the patio and garden paths. A messy garden can signal the need for too much
work and effort and thus detract buyers from making an offer.
Can you smell the sale?
It is also worth noting that our sense of smell is 10,000 times more
sensitive than any other senses* so it is equally important that the property
smells nice. Remove any damp footwear from the entrance-way and even consider
opening a few windows in the days before a viewing to freshen up the property.
What’s the weather?
Always try and arrange a viewing on a day that will show your property
in the best possible light. If there’s a storm on its way it may be best to
re-arrange a viewing once the storm has passed. Allow adequate time to fix any
damage such as falling fences.
