Purchasing a home is not on everyone’s to-do list during this time of year, but people are still on the house-buying hunt. Check out these tips for a successful house sale this winter.

Don’t Be Afraid to be Festive

Winter and seasonal cheer go hand in hand, so sellers shouldn’t be afraid to show off that festive feel when listing their house on the real estate market. Sellers do have to be cautious about not overdoing it, however. Buyers aren’t going to want to feel like they’ve landed at the North Pole, but some seasonal décor lends to an emotional connection. Here are some extra real estate tips to consider when staging around the Christmas season:

• Avoid overly flashy decor that can distract and make it hard for potential buyers to envision themselves and their belongings in the house.
• If using a Christmas tree, avoid an oversized one so as not to make the room feel small or crowded.
• Avoid anything overtly religious.
• The seasonal décor should match the home’s unchanging décor.

Embrace Winter Curb Appeal

It can be challenging to make the outside of a property look as beautiful as it may look in the summer months, but if sellers embrace the wintery wonderland, the property can look delightful. Before the snow falls, remove any fallen leaves on the property (and remember eavestroughs and window wells). Trim any bushes, hedges, or trees. The wind tends to deposit all sorts of materials in the bushes and hedges, so make sure that’s cleaned out. Ensure there is not any icicle build-up. That could mean regular maintenance of the eaves and knocking any down where they tend to build. Some plants can add color to a property in the winter, so explore getting some evergreen shrubs, red twig dogwoods, or Japanese yew (to name a few options).

Cold Outside, Warm Inside

When showing a house in the winter, the last thing potential buyers want to feel is cold in the home. Before an open house or showing, turn up the thermostat a little. If there is a fireplace in the home, make sure it’s on with enough time for the heat to spread through the area. Add some blankets and soft decorative pillows to add a sense of coziness. Remember to bake cookies. Not only will the oven provide the kitchen with warmth, but the smell of freshly-baked cookies is an inviting evocative aroma.

Safe Sidewalks

Shoveling the snow as soon as possible after every snowfall; adding snow melt if there is a risk of icing while showing a house in the wintertime is imperative. Anyone viewing the place should have a clear walkway and no chance of slipping and falling. Since the days are so short in winter, if the property doesn’t already have it, think about adding lights along the sidewalk and walkway to provide more visual aids.

Wet Shoes, Dry Floors

Winter brings wetness we cannot avoid, but there are ways sellers can mitigate the potential damage that constant wet shoes can do to the floor. Offer any potential buyers shoe covers when they come in and provide coat racks or hooks in a vetted entryway for those snowy overcoats. Even with the most prepared, there is still a chance that salt residue and water will find their way onto flooring that shouldn’t have exposure to it. Have some microfibre cloths on standby to clean up the water as soon as possible and a small vacuum ready to address the salt.

The real estate market may be slow over winter, but houses can still sell. Winter buyers are motivated, so sellers should be ready to go! There are many ways to make the home inviting and cozy during the winter season, making it easy for potential buyers to envision themselves living in it!