How to be Successful in Selling Your Home in Fall and Winter

Super Bowl Sunday marks the beginning of the prime season to sell your home, but life happens, and it doesn’t always work out that way. What happens when you need to sell your home in the fall and winter?

Kids have already started a new school year, the weather is getting colder and the holidays mean people are more settled in than ever. Despite the odds seemingly not in your favor, it is actually more than possible to sell your home in these months.

Chris Goble and Kay Johnson co-founded True Colors Real Estate Group in July after previously working together for six years on another team. True Colors focuses on affirming client experiences through strategic planning and market experience, promoting fair housing and LGBTQ+ inclusion in real estate and authenticity for themselves and their clients. 

Although their group is new, their experience is extensive. Johnson has worked in realty for 21 years, and Goble, while officially starting six years ago, has been involved in the real estate world since 1994, helping his mom with her real estate work. Johnson and Goble offered tips and tricks for selling in the fall and winter months.

Preparing to Sell

“Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance,” Goble says.

The most important preparation you can do is to make sure you do maintenance from the top down, even down to cleaning the windows and making sure the light bulbs match. Get rid of dying or overgrown plants, put new mulch in the garden and rake the leaves or shovel the snow.

Take care of all outside maintenance before the weather gets too cold, says Goble. Sellers are fighting with Mother Nature during these months, so fix the gutters, repaint and repair windows before the weather makes it difficult to do so. 

“First impressions kind of set the stage for what’s going to happen next,” Johnson says. “The house honestly is gonna sell itself and so the presentation of the house, the condition of the house, where it’s located … sells itself.”

It’s important to make the impression that the house is taken care of and create a welcoming environment for potential buyers, according to Johnson. If you are living in the home, the furniture, decorations, books, etc., can actually help you find a buyer, as people tend to buy from people they have things in common with. Whether it be a fellow Lord of the Rings fan or another art connoisseur, these things can make a big difference for buyers.

“It’s more marketing forward and condition forward because you want that buyer to feel comfortable,” Johnson says. “When things are looking in good condition, the eyes don’t go looking for more stuff that’s wrong.”

Ideally, it’s better to sell by Halloween before most people go into holiday mode, but ultimately, the house should go on the market when the home is ready, Goble says. 

“If you’re one of those sellers that can’t wait for those perfect ideal months, at least wait until the home is ready to go on the market, and it will show the best,” Goble says.

Common Mistakes

Like Johnson said, it’s important to create a welcoming and comfortable environment for people touring the home. If sellers are not occupying the home, it’s common that outside maintenance is forgotten. Shoveling snow and raking leaves can make a huge difference in the eyes of a buyer.

Unoccupied homes also bring different perspectives for buyers since lived-in furniture and decorations can help them envision themselves in the home better than empty rooms. That’s why it’s important to ensure that utilities are all on, the temperature is set to a comfortable level and everything, from the inside to the outside, is clean and presentable, according to Johnson. 

Pricing issues can be a challenge when trying to sell in these months. 

“Homes that are well-maintained and priced appropriately will sell in any market at any time of year,” Goble says. 

Choosing an Offer

When choosing an offer, remember that the highest price is not the best offer. Goble says many different facets make up a good offer, such as the closing date, who the buyer is using for financing or reassurances with inspections or appraisals.

“Judge every offer based on the merit of the offer, compare them apples to apples,” Goble says. “Have your agents do a spreadsheet with each characteristic listed out.”

While this is all ideal, some people have different abilities, whether it be family life, financial or reasons for selling the home, such as divorce, according to Johnson. Do as much as you can, but don’t break the bank. Invest in cheap yet cheerful ways to freshen up the home and decide what is worth replacing and what isn’t.

Ultimately, selling your home in the fall and winter isn’t as hard as it seems. Keeping up with maintenance and creating a comfortable environment will take you a long way. Put up some fall decorations, grab a fresh set of flowers and set a vibe that buyers will enjoy. Remember that with the right preparation and mindset, you can turn fall and winter home selling into a rewarding experience and achieve a successful sale, no matter the season.

Learn more about True Colors at truecolorsre.net.