5 Tips for Selling Your Home During the Winter
While people love to talk about the ideal time to sell your home, the reality is that sometimes you don’t get a choice on timing. An out-of-state job, major life event, or financial crisis can force you to sell your home right away – regardless of the season or market conditions.
When this happens over the holidays or winter, it can make things particularly challenging for sellers. That said, if you do need to sell your Birmingham home during the winter, there are things you can do to make the process go more smoothly.
Here are 5 tips to help Alabama homeowners sell their homes during winter months.
1. Make Sure There’s Plenty of Light in Your House
Birmingham winters can be cloudy and dreary, and even on sunny days, the daylight hours are short. Combat this by making sure your house is as bright as possible. Here are a few easy ways to do that:
- Clean all windows inside and out
- Open all blinds, drapes, and window coverings to let in as much natural light as possible
- Add extra lighting or accent lighting to darker areas
- Make sure all lights are on before showings
2. Keep Your Home at a Comfortable Temperature
Some people like to keep their homes cool during the winter to keep utility bills low, while others like to keep their homes toasty so that they immediately feel warm after coming in from the cold. Whatever your personal preference, you should keep your home at a comfortable temperature when it’s on the market. Seventy degrees is about the ideal temperature, but anywhere in the 68-70 degree range will work.
3. Make Your House Feel Extra Cozy
With the right accents and decorations, sellers can actually use the winter months to their advantage. If the home is cozy and comfortable, buyers can be particularly drawn to it as a way to escape the harsh winter weather.
Create this feel by adding some cozy blankets to the back of your couch or chairs, setting the dining room table, or creating a reading or sitting nook where buyers can envision themselves relaxing.
There’s no need to go overboard, but a few extra touches can make your home feel more inviting to buyers and help you sell it faster.
1. Clear Snow and Ice
While there’s not a lot of snow and ice in Birmingham, there are a few winter storms every year and plenty of cold nights that can lead to icy walkways. When this happens, you don’t want it to be difficult for buyers to get to your house, nor do you want their first thoughts to be worrying about the winter maintenance they’d need to do.
Avoid these issues and make sure your home is safely accessible by keeping the driveway, walkways, and sidewalks clear of snow and ice.
2. Plan for Winter Conditions
While Birmingham winters are relatively mild, there are still lots of damp, cold, and rainy days. You want to make it as easy and comfortable as possible for buyers to see your home all winter long. Plus, sellers need to make sure their home stays clean and damage-free for showings, regardless of the weather.
One of the best ways to do this is by adding a few touches throughout your house to plan for winter conditions. For example, you can add a sturdy doormat to the inside and outside of all doors buyers will be using, place an umbrella rack outside the front door, and add a coat rack inside the front door.
These touches will not only help to protect your floors but they’ll also make the buyer’s experience smoother, making it easy to envision how comfortable they could be in the house year-round.
Consider Alternative Ways to Sell Your Home
Keep in mind that if you do have to sell your home during the winter, it’s always a good idea to consider alternative ways to sell it. Cash buyers are a good way to avoid the work that comes with getting a house ready for the market. Perhaps even more importantly, this type of sale is a way to ensure that your home sells quickly and on your schedule.
Cash buyers purchase homes as-is, regardless of the condition. This means sellers don’t have to worry about repairs, upgrades, staging, or cleaning. Instead, they’ll get a cash offer for their home and can pick a date to close. The whole process can be completed in less than two weeks, eliminating the work, stress, and time that usually comes with selling a home during the winter.
Contact Home Buyers Birmingham
If you’re interested in selling your home as-is and on your schedule, contact Home Buyers Birmingham today at (205) 687-0604 or by using our online form.
We’ll give you a cash offer within 24 hours of seeing your home and can close in as few as seven days after you accept the offer. It’s the quick and easy way to sell your Birmingham home in any season or any market conditions.
Home Buyers Birmingham
1821 11th Avenue South Suite #55331
Birmingham, Alabama 35205
