When it comes to staging a home, the key is to create a comfortable atmosphere for the potential homebuyer. If they can picture themselves living in the house, cooking dinner every night for their family or lounging on the couch for movie nights, then they are more likely to put in an offer.
When it comes to the winter season, people are sick of feeling cold – and the short, dreary days don’t help either. By creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, you are showing potential buyers that your home could be a reprieve from the winter weather each and every year.
Create an inviting atmosphere
Be sure to have the house nice and warm and add some cozy blankets, a coffee mug, and maybe a book to the living room. Treat your house as if you’re trying to tell a story where the potential homebuyer can see themselves going about their day. Your goal is to get them to imagine being curled up on the couch with a warm blanket while watching their favourite TV show or envisioning dinner with friends and family gathered around the table.
A part of creating an inviting atmosphere is tidying up the clutter. Over time, we all gather a little too much stuff, so it’s best to tuck that away and create a neat, simple interior. One where the potential buyer can easily imagine filling with their own stuff.
Warm lighting
If you are staging your home in the late spring, summer, or early fall, then you don’t need to be too concerned with lighting. Simply open your curtains and voila! But in the winter it’s a bit different. The days are shorter and much of the time there is cloud cover.
Before you have a showing, make sure that you have warm lights throughout the house. Add some lamps to darker areas of your home and switch out any burnt out bulbs. Incandescent bulbs aren’t the most energy efficient, but they give off a wonderful yellow light that adds to the coziness of your home. Potential buyers will want to see how effective the lighting is and a well lit home will allow them to forget about the dreary weather they just came from.
Don’t overdo the holiday decorations
‘Tis the season! But before you put out every inch of your holiday decorations, try to not go overboard. Keep it simple. A wreath on the front door, a couple of strands of lights and some ornaments throughout the house is all you need.
This shows your potential buyers how festive the house can be while also creating an inviting atmosphere. If you go overboard with the decorations, it can be difficult for them to examine the house — especially decorations that move, have flashing lights, and play music.
Curb appeal is still important
Once you have the interior set up, be sure to take a look outside. Is the exterior of your house clean? Garden sheds and yard organized? Driveway shovelled? The curb appeal of your home is still important in the winter despite being somewhat hidden by the snow.
When potential buyers come to see the house, they will want to look at the yard despite the snow. Be sure to shovel your driveway and walkways before potential homebuyers come. Not only will this give them a better idea of what lies underneath, but they will see what needs to be shovelled in the winter.
Remember, homebuyers, are planning a future. They will want to be able to comfortably examine the house, see an example of what it could look like, and see themselves living in it.
To learn more about the best strategies to list, stage, or sell your home, be sure to discuss all of your options with your REALTOR®. Not only do REALTORS® stay up-to-date on various industry trends, but they can give you plenty of advice on how you can best present your house to potential home buyers.
