Last Updated on March 18, 2022 by Kravelv
Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could sell our houses within days, rather than months? Just think about how much less stress you’d experience when you know that your house isn’t sitting on the market long after you’ve already closed on your new house. Double mortgages are not fun!
If you’re hoping to sell your house quickly, you better do it now because real estate agents share their 2022 predictions and they see the market cooling significantly in the latter part of the year.
We have a few house staging tips that’ll help you get one step closer to getting that “Closed” sign.
1. Mindful of temperature
Depending on who you ask, the perfect indoor temperature is going to range somewhere between 68° F to 72° F. However, during the winter sometimes we increase the temperature up a few degrees, especially if it’s really cold. Yet, when you’re showing your house to potential buyers, you want to keep their comfort in mind and stay within that ideal temperature range.
2. Decorate accordingly
Winter is chock full of holidays that we decorate for, but when you’re selling your house… You’ll want to opt for season-appropriate decor rather than holiday-specific ones. By having season-appropriate decor, buyers feel welcomed and won’t be distracted by your elaborate holiday setups.
3. Walkway safety is crucial
As beautiful as it is, snow (and subsequently ice) is a pain to deal with when you’re trying to sell. Not only does the snow cover up the nicest parts of your yard, it’s a safety concern. While you’re probably already going to clear the walkway, steps, and driveway, you want to make sure it’s done well and properly salted. You don’t want someone to come by and slip on a patch of black ice that you didn’t hit with salt.
4. Lighting matters
Selling during the winter can be quite challenging because there are fewer hours of sunlight in the day. The lack of natural sunlight requires that you turn on the lights throughout the house. It’s not enough to just turn on a few lights throughout – you need to turn on every light. And, if you have incandescent light bulbs, you might notice a yellow-ish hue. You should replace those outdated lights with LED bulbs (they may be expensive, but they’ll help brighten the space and save a few pennies on your light bill).
Along with turning on all of the lights in the house, make sure all window treatments are open so whatever natural light there is can help brighten the space.
5. Create a wintery-welcome area
Sometimes when you’re trying to sell, keeping the house ready for showings can feel like a full-time job – especially if you have kids! The endeavor is even worse during the winter because you’ll have to deal with all the mess that goes along with winter – tracking in snow/slush/salt, wet jackets dripping on the floor, piles of discarded snowshoes, mittens, and so forth.
You can mitigate some of that mess by creating a wintery-welcome area by the entrance. You can set up a coat rack with a rug underneath to collect any dripping. You can put a bench near the door so people can take off their shoes (more for the family, not the buyers).
Simple home staging tips can help sell your home
There’s a lot to be done when you’re getting your house ready for the market. When you pile on the fact that you’re trying to sell in a short amount of time, the pressure is worse! These simple home staging tips aren’t going to guarantee a quick sale, unfortunately, but it can certainly help appeal to buyers!
