Author: Ryan DeRoode

There’s no reason why gray weather should put a damper on a potential buyer’s reaction to your home. While you will read again and again that you should wait for a sunny day with clear blue skies to take photos for your listing, you may be waiting awhile. Minnesota springs can sometimes feel like living in Seattle. Luckily, there are workarounds and other tips that can turn gray photos into a buyer’s dream.

Listing photos are the first impression buyers will have of your home. Good pictures can be the difference between a showing or a no-show, so put your best photos forward with these tips to help photograph your house for a sale when it’s gray in Minnesota.

1. Use a Professional Photographer

Professional photographers know what they’re doing, and they offer high-quality photos. When sellers use a professional photographer, the listing averages twice as many views, and the home can sell 50% faster.

A professional can take the guesswork out of your photo shoot. Real estate photographers know what angles work best and what features to highlight. Professional photography is included with every listing we put on the market. It’s vital in today’s market!

2. Check the Weather

While blue skies are beautiful, gray skies can create striking photos. Avoid the rain though, and skip days that show puddles or standing water around your house.

Overcast skies can actually reduce distracting shadows or intense brightness that can highlight imperfections. In fact, often interior and exterior photos often look a lot better than blue-sky, noon-time photos.

3. Use a Sky Replacer

Some professional photographers can reimagine the weather and replace a gray sky with a bright blue one, helping buyers focus on the beauty of your home, rather than cloudy conditions. Many sellers choose this option. Why? Buyers are purchasing your house, not the weather. We include a blue sky guarantee with all our listings!

4. Avoid Anything that May Discourage a Showing

Powerlines are often a problem when photographing properties. You may not even notice them in person, but they could be a deterrent for some buyers. Get a shot as wide as you can to photograph the outside of your home. Avoid any potential eyesores, including your neighbor’s houses, so the focus remains on your property alone.

5. Highlight Unique Selling Features

Do you love the view of your backyard from your family room? Buyers will too! Including unique features in your listing gives viewers the feeling of what it’s really like to live in your home. Take photos of new light fixtures, high ceilings, custom cabinets, etc., to make your real estate listing stand out.

6. Give Buyers a Taste of Your Neighborhood

Because buyers look through pictures before reading a property’s description, use photos to highlight any surrounding amenities. Add a few images of places nearby that make your neighborhood amazing, including parks, restaurants, the library, and natural areas. Don’t go overboard, but if your area is known for one of these, don’t be shy about it.

7. Take Photos from Varying Angles and Give Yourself Options

Sometimes the best real estate photos require unique perspectives. Have fun, get low, then pull out the ladder. Walk to the road, or to the back of your property, and snap some shots from there.

Choosing the right photos can be trickier than taking them, and having options can make a huge difference. Don’t hesitate to push the button and release the shutter.

American photographer Berenice Abbot is quoted as saying, “Photography helps people to see,” and your potential buyers need to see themselves living in your house. Great photos set your listing apart from the rest and attract the right offer for your home. Embrace your inner photographer or hire a professional and let’s get to work selling your house in Minnesota this spring.

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There’s no avoiding the snow in our area this time of year (hopefully this isn’t one of those years where it snows into June). Snow is part of our way of life, but it can make showing your home a little more challenging. From curb appeal to difficulty parking and walking up to your house, snow can have a negative effect on how a buyer perceives and experiences your house.

Selling your home in winter comes with some challenges, but don’t let snow become one of them.

To Keep Your Home Show Ready, Follow These Snow Removal Tips

1. Shovel the Drive and Leave Room for Others

Clearing your drive is a no-brainer, but be sure to leave enough room for several cars. If a buyer drives separately from their realtor or their spouse, you can probably expect your entire drive to be used.

If you’re leaving a car at home while buyers come by for showings, park it down the street or at a neighbor’s. This helps buyers picture their cars in your drive and garage, rather than focusing on your vehicle.

Shoveling your driveway completely will show off how convenient and usable it is in the winter.

2. If You Don’t Own a Snowblower…

It can feel like a never-ending task to keep up with snow when your home is listed for sale. The added expectation of keeping your home show-ready can become quite a burden, especially when we see snowfall throughout the day.

It may be worth investing in a snowblower, or paying for removal during this period. This will make quicker, easier, and less sweaty work of clearing the drive. If you’re lucky enough to have that awesome neighbor who clears it for you, then you have yet another selling point to market your neighborhood!

3. Use Snow Melts on the Walkway and Driveway

To keep your walkway and driveway clear of snow and ice, use salts or snow melts. This one isn’t just about saving yourself time and work–it’s also a safety issue. The last thing you want is a buyer to slip and fall, while walking up to your front door. This is a major issue in the melting/refreezing phases of winter.

4. Welcome Buyers into Your Home, Not the Snow

When buyers walk through snow, they can accidentally track it into your house. They may want to walk around the yard to look at windows and siding, or simply walk the yard.

While snow and ice melt can be great for avoiding falls, you also want to minimize those pesky granules ending up in your entryway. I suggest investing in a quality doormat that can absorb melted snow, and clean snow melt and salts from buyers’ shoes.

Let it Snow and Let’s Show Your Home

The snow doesn’t deter buyers in our area, and being show-ready is all about putting in a little effort. If you’re ready to sell your house, I’m ready to help you. Just give me a call or send me an email. I’m happy to answer any questions or concerns.

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Selling your home can feel like an overwhelming task. There can be so much to do to get your home ready to list, for your open house, or prepare for day-to-day viewings. Many sellers don’t know where to begin. When you’re getting your home ready for the market, you can save a lot of time, energy, and stress with these 3 tips:

My Top 3 Tips to Help You Get Your Home Ready for the Market

1. Reduce, Detach, and De-Clutter

It’s true that our homes reflect who we are: our memories, our families, and our interests. This is great while you’re living in your home. Surrounding yourself with what you love and what makes you happy makes sense, right?

Well, when it comes to selling your home, it’s important to begin to detach emotionally from the home as “yours.” What I mean is that if you want to sell your home, you must be emotionally ready to pass it on to another family that will make their own memories there.

And in order for them to be able to imagine themselves making those memories, and making the home their own, they need a blank canvas. Or at least more of a blank canvas than what many of our homes show.

You don’t have to strip your home of all your family heirlooms, photos, and art, but consider what impression a buyer would get if they came in the front door. They need to see your home’s potential first and foremost.

*De-clutter the walls if you have excessive family photos. This process can help you work through the emotions of selling your home. Keep in mind there will be plenty of space in your next home to display your photos.
*Reduce storage in the closets, especially on the floor.
*Consider the floor space in each room– is there enough space to walk around? If not, consider putting some furniture in storage.
*Open up the curtains. You may love the dark atmosphere of blackout curtains in your study, but light is a selling factor for many.
*We provide a staging consultation for all of our sellers. A neutral and professional third eye can make a world of difference, and can easily add $5-10K plus in the selling price, driving more buyers to your home!

2. Make Minor, Yet Impactful, Repairs

As buyers walk through a home, they tend to take a lot in. You don’t want them to notice something like a burnt-out lightbulb and get the impression your home isn’t well-kept .

Of course, buyers tend to get caught up on paint color, too. Refreshing your paint to eliminate marks can help a home shine. Consider also replacing bold color choices with warm neutrals–remember the blank canvas rule.

If your kitchen or bathroom drawers don’t pull out easily, try using the soap trick to smooth them out. Just remove the drawer and rub bar soap along where the drawer makes contact with the cabinet and on the drawer bottom.

3. Assess Your Curb Appeal

We see our homes every day. This can make it difficult to see how they’ve aged and what the curb appeal is really like. And your home’s curb appeal is a buyer’s first impression. It sets the tone for the walkthrough and can be the difference between an offer or not.

Take a few minutes to walk out to the road. Stand and look at your house. What would you think of it if you were a buyer?

Some things that can detract from a home’s curb appeal include:

*Crooked shutters
*Mildew, dirt and cobwebs on your siding or brick
*Dead plants
*Chipped paint on the front door, garage or shutters
*Any unnecessary yard debris
*Overgrown garden beds or grass growing over the walkway

Are You Ready to Sell?

For more advice or if you have questions about preparing your home for the market, give me a call. I’m always happy to chat and offer my expertise in how we can sell your home and find you a new one. Don’t hesitate to contact me.

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You might be a Minnesotan if you’ve ever worn shorts under 50 degrees. We’re one of a kind here. With the ‘most miserable winters’ in America, it’s no wonder it takes a special kind of person to live where we do. But if you’ve just moved here, or you want to make sure you’re dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s when it comes to caring for your home as the temperatures plummet, I wanted to share my top five tips!

1. Go Indoor Draft Hunting

Did you know that drafty windows and doorways can lower your home’s efficiency by 30%? If you have an infrared thermometer, you and the kids can have some fun while snowed in by identifying where cool air is sneaking in. Then plan to caulk or weather-strip those areas and see how much money you save on your gas or electric bill and if your home feels a bit warmer.

2. Check Your Gutters

Clogged gutters can cause frozen water to seep into your roof or eaves and cause a world of damage. Make sure your gutters are clear and that your outside spigots are drained to prevent any surprise water damage.

3. Add Insulation

If your attic, foundation, basement, or ducts are insulated, celebrate! These items need to have insulation. Heat can easily escape from these areas and make your home colder and your heating bill higher. Great insulation is also adds value when it comes time to sell your house. Check out all the areas that are notorious for heat loss.

4. Service Your Heating System

A bit of maintenance can prevent problems and a potential HVAC replacement. It’s a great time to check the water in your boiler, change the filters in your furnace, and be sure your thermostat batteries are fresh.

5. Remove Unhealthy and Dead Branches & Trees from Your Yard

Brave the cold and inspect your trees for disease. As our winter kicks into start, it’s vital that you have diseased and dead trees removed. Dead branches will likely come down in a snow storm. To prevent them from damaging what’s below, prune them now. You also don’t want a dead tree falling on your home or your neighbor’s, so have a tree removal service take down any that pose a threat. The investment for tree removal now is much less than the cost of repairing a roof.

Brutal, unbearable, unpredictable: no matter how others describe our Minnesota winters, I would never describe the Twin Cities as anything other than “home.” If you’re looking to buy a new home here in our wintery wonderland, please give me a call. I’m happy to help you find the perfect yard for your next snowman, a driveway that’s easier to plow, or picture winder where you can sip hot chocolate or tea and watch the snow pile up.

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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.

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