Month: November 2019

It may seem counterintuitive to prepare your home to hit the market during the holidays, but this time of year offers some great benefits for sellers. And I’m not just talking about the opportunity to build a snowman to greet buyers in your front yard. How can selling your home during the holiday season put the “YAY!” in your holiday?

Why the Holidays are a Gift to Home Sellers?

1. Winter Buyers Want a New Home for the Holidays

Buyers shopping for the perfect home during the holiday season often have a deadline in mind. Many take advantage of the built-in time off to shop for a new home and move. These buyers are often motivated by a short timeline and ready to finalize sales.

Other times, buyers want to cozy into their new home for the holidays. And it’s true that winter buyers are more serious whether they’re trying to cash in on end-of-the-year tax breaks, or trying to buy because they were offered an occupational transfer.

2. Your Holiday Decor Helps Buyers See More Potential

Who needs staging when your Christmas tree glows and sparkles? One reason buyers have trouble committing, is they struggle to see themselves living in a potential home. Holiday decor can create the opposite effect. Buyers imagine their kids opening presents on Christmas morning or enjoying hot cocoa by the fireplace on Christmas Eve.

Your decorations also help buyers overlook some of the details they can get hung up on, like drawer pulls or light fixtures. I’ll provide the stager to help let your decor shine in all the right ways.

3. What About Frosty the Snowman?

While you don’t have to build a snowman, Christmas lights, wreaths, and ribbon exemplify a warm welcome and unique curb appeal. And you’ve likely already picked up the kids’ toys and stored them away for the winter. That dreamy winter wonderland feeling can really create some warm sentimental feeling.

Do you live in a neighborhood that tastefully lights their homes for the holidays. This can definitely create a warm neighborhood feel as well!

4. Warm Their Hearts and Their Hands

There’s no denying that our winters are cold. Fireplaces, great central heating, energy-efficient windows, and great insulation truly shine this time of year. When buyers feel toasty, they often warm up to a home more easily. And while these features may not sell your home in the summer, they sure help during the holidays.

5. What Else Is for Sale This Holiday Season?

Many sellers don’t want to bother with selling during the winter, and especially during the holidays. This means your home will face a lot less competition. This puts sellers at a pricing advantage since there aren’t as many alternatives.

Are You Feeling That Holi-YAY Selling Sensation?

Don’t wait around until spring to sell your home. Let’s work together to list your house, and find those buyers ready to make your home theirs for the holidays. ‘Tis the season to sell! I’d love to help give you the gift of making the process smooth and simple.

Give me a jingle if you’re feeling in the holi-yay spirit.

 

Image credit: BackyardProduction | iStock | Getty Images Plus

Our beloved pets truly make our houses feel more like homes. After a long day and we can’t wait to open the door to those deep purrs and ankle rubs, those wagging tails and puppy eyes. Our pets are our personal welcome parties. And our homes are as much theirs as ours in many ways. And while we love our pets, there are some things I suggest pet parents keep in mind when selling their homes.

My Top Tips for Selling Your House as a Pet Parent

When listing your home, you always want potential buyers to see it at it’s best. Buyers want to imagine themselves settling into your home and neighborhood, as well as enjoying your yard. How can you keep buyers interested in your spectacular space, rather than a few rope toys or the litter box?

1. Before You List Your Home, Enter Your Home with New Eyes and a New Nose

We sometimes become blind to the small accessories our pets require. We also overlook some of the less-than-attractive side effects that can crop up from our pets. Ask a friend or relative if they’ll give you an honest assessment of what they notice about your home’s appearance and smell.

Before any buyers walk through your doors, take a moment and do the same, now with a new perspective. Make a list of your more unsightly pet-related possessions and any minor marks or damage from your pets.

Touch up paint,  slip cover any clawed or chewed furniture, and create a showing plan for your pet bowls, litter box, and toys.

2. Consider Hiring A Carpet Cleaner

If you have carpet, you may want to call up a carpet cleaner to freshen up your floor. This can help your home smell fresher, while eliminating any stains or spots that may distract a buyer and detract from what your home has to offer.

3. Thoroughly Clean Your Home from Top to Bottom

You know that age-old trick with baking cookies? That’s because the sense of smell has one of the strongest emotional impacts on buyers. And while the smell of warm, ooey-gooey cookies can create positive feelings for a buyer, the smells of litter or dogs can have the opposite effect.

Clean any fabrics in your home. Wash your pet’s bed, and clean the litter box before any buyers walk through those doors.

4. Clean up the Yard

Yards help sell houses. Make sure your yard shines by cleaning it up of any old toys or dog waste. Make sure to fill any holes, and put grass seed in any bald or bare patches in the lawn.

5. Change Your Air Filter

Replacing an old air filter before buyers begin viewing your home will freshen and pull pet dander from the air. This can help buyers with allergies, while keeping your home feeling and smelling clean.

It’s also a great idea to open windows to air out your place a few hours before potential buyers arrive, weather permitting of course.

6. Prepare to Bring Your Pet to the Park or Elsewhere While Showing Your Home

While your pet may be the best part of your home in your mind, many buyers can be distracted by pets. Pets tend to add one more stressor to a situation where a person is deciding whether or not they’ll be living in your home.

During an open house or showing, you can always day board your pet, or let a friend watch them for a bit. If a showing is on the weekend, and you have the ability, it’s a great opportunity to take your dog to the park.

7. Remember the Don’ts of Showing a Home with a Pet

– Don’t leave your dog home, if potential buyers will be stopping in. This isn’t just dangerous, since buyers are strangers, but this can really stress out your pet.

– Don’t leave out pet supplies. Create a list, then clean up and hide away as much of your pet accessories as possible.

– Don’t leave your dog in the backyard, as most buyers will want to walk the yard.

– Don’t drench your home in air freshener right before a showing. This can cause buyers’ allergies to flare up, and create an off-putting or masking suspicion in the buyer’s mind.

Pet Parents, Let’s Sell Your House and Find Fido or Fluffy a New Home!

Pets are awesome! And while I may have a soft spot for your best friend, I can also guide you through the selling process in a way that will work best to sell your home, all while keeping your pet’s best interest in mind.

Give me a call. Let’s list your house and find a new home where you, your family, and your pets can make memories for years to come.

 

Image credit: shironosov | iStock | Getty Images Plus