Keep the home fires burning: selling your home in winter

Many people assume that attempting to sell a house in winter is a bad idea. While sales might be slow during the deep winter months, there are numerous advantages to selling a house in the cold season.

Advantages of winter

• Firstly, as many sellers prefer to wait until summer to sell their property, there are fewer houses on the market and therefore less competition. Your house may actually stand out in a dearth of sale property and as a result more people will be willing to view simply because of scarcity. There will be a more focussed market willing to engage with you and interested in your home.

• People are more discerning in winter. They're seeing the house at the worst time of the year and looking for faults that winter is so good at showing up, like leaks, damp patches and broken pipes. Not to mention that sometimes pervasive damp smell in older homes. This gives you the motivation to ensure that things are fixed, aired, dried, warmed and presentable in the danker months. Money spent on these adjustments is never wasted.

• A big advantage to winter sales is that people looking at this time are generally speaking serious buyers. They are wanting a property as soon as possible - and a smaller market makes your property even more interesting to them. The winter buyer understands that a house may not present at its best at this time, and you don't need to sell them what may or may not flower in summer. They are looking for their specific needs of the moment - and a house that meets their requirements, and displays as warm, dry and cosy in the winter months, will fit their bill no matter what the weather is doing.

Adding that warm glow

As with any desire to sell a house, you should pay attention to presenting your home at its very best - irrespective of the season. Prospective buyers will still be influenced by their first impression when visiting your house. There are several ways in which you can make your house shine in winter.

Your garden:

A winter garden may not be as bright and colourful as a summer garden, but a neat garden with leaves swept away, and unruly bushes (which can sprout so fast after rain) trimmed and neatened, can appear very attractive. If you have evergreen trees on your property, supported by plenty of green foliage, you already have an advantage: green trees in deep winter bring a sense of lush richness and life to a garden. Mend fences, remove rubble, trim back lawn edges, and invest in a few pot-plants with some hardy flowerers like geraniums to add a spark of colour here and there.

Lighting:

There's nothing more dismal than walking into a dark house in winter. Make sure your windows let in as much light as possible by clearing away bushes on the outside and removing any furniture blocking the light on the inside. Switch on lamps at every strategic point and make sure your bathroom and kitchen lights are on. Mirrors are useful for reflecting lights, adding brightness and a sense of space.

Fireplace:

If you have a working fireplace - by all means, light a fire! Nothing is more homely and warming than those roaring flames in the grate. But whatever kind of heating system you have, make sure it is on for your prospective buyer - whether it's a wood-burner or biofuel or electric heater, get it on and happening well in time, so that your house is warm and cosy when they arrive to view.

Rugs:

Rugs are useful for adding colour and textural style to a home. Rugs seem to absorb the heat and give it back - that's why they're so good in front of a fire or at various vantage points around the home. Vibrant colours and varied rough wool textures give an immediate sense of homely comfort and warmth.

Create ambience:

A warm fire, lamps, cushions, and throws on couches and across armchairs will always create a feeling of welcome and relaxation - just the right impact you want for your prospective viewers when they walk into your home. If you have or can add that sometimes-neglected item - a bookcase - then all to the good. A well-stocked bookcase strategically lit, always adds a sense of snug appeal to a home.

Declutter:

Tidy every room, reduce clutter, vacuum carpets, clean and shine and polish all surfaces, especially in your kitchen, so that people feel a sense of quality and freshness around the home. You can even reduce furniture pieces so that there is no feeling of overcrowding and reduced space. This will also open up rooms for easier inspection. But keep that feeling of warmth throughout the house by adding some throws to the beds and providing lamplight in every room. Make sure to pushback curtains to allow as much sunlight into the rooms as possible.

Useful additions:

If you can prove a well-insulated home, a sunroom, direct garage access, or even a heated pool, your house will show up as a winter special to any discerning buyer.

The Leapfrog Property Group

Leapfrog Property Group offers a fresh and innovative approach to buying, selling, renting and property investments, ensuring the best property deals for clients across South Africa. Our agents are qualified, trained, experienced; our approach bold and spirited, driven by heart, generosity and honesty. It is our mission to advise, eliminate obstacles and save you unnecessary expense. Trust is our watchword. And value our motto. Armed with our combined credentials, we are the bright face of excellence in the South African market.