Why Sell Your House in the Winter?

We've been having lots of conversations about this topic lately. Is Winter a good time to sell your home? Should you list now or wait? If you need to list now is your house even going to sell? Here are some pros and cons and tips and tricks to selling your house this Winter, and what you can expect! (Spoiler alert....Winter is definitely still a good time to list!)

1. Less Competition - Probably the biggest benefit to selling your house in the Winter is that you have far less competition. There are less houses on the market (currently only 317 active listings in Lethbridge today) that you will be competing against. There may be less buyers, but there are less homes, making it easy for yours to stand out.  

2. Don't overlook Winter Curb Appeal - Curb appeal in the Winter is still HUGE. Even if everything is covered in snow, if your yard is cluttered and dirty, it is never going to show well. Things still need to be as neat and tidy as you can possibly get them. Houses in Winter can be showstoppers! Lean in to it. 

3. Highlight Winter Benefits of Your Home - Does your home have a cozy fireplace? Turn it on for showings! Buyers love to picture how they would make your space their own. If they can imagine themselves cozying up for the Winter in front of the fireplace, staying in and baking cookies in your gorgeous kitchen, buyers will love that! Make sure your home is warm and inviting. Add touches of cozy, homey decor like a fluffy throw blanket and a good coffee table book. They won't want to leave the cozy haven you've created! 

4. More Serious Buyers - Typically in Winter months we find that the buyers are more serious. They don't want to go out in the cold looking at houses unless they NEED to move. The less serious buyers who know they have time on their hands will wait. If people are looking at your home in the Winter it's because they need to buy soon. These buyers are looking at less houses because there are just not as many on the market, so a higher chance of them being serious about your house. 

6. Winter Showing Ready  - As we said before, curb appeal is everything. Shovel those walks, make sure they are free of ice and snow. Make sure there is a close place for them to park for easy access. Do you have a rug at your front door? We don't want those floors ruined! Make sure there is a rug down and a place for wet shoes. 

The truth of the matter is simple, selling your house in the winter is definitely doable, and as you can see, there are even some big pros, but it requires an experienced Realtor to help guide you through the process. You need a Realtor that takes the time to create a specific Winter Marketing Plan, can think outside the box, and that has your very best interests at heart. Lucky for you, we have 4 of them on our team, as well as a powerhouse marketing coordinator and a full time assistant to help us with the back end and make sure our paperwork is tidy and complete. We would LOVE to come see your home and make a plan for how we can help you get it SOLD. 

xoxo The Property Twins Team