Sell my home in the winter?

This is a question we get from nearly every seller we deal with. The answer depends a lot on the circumstances of the seller and the type of property. The best piece of advice I can give to any seller is, "If you want to sell your house, have it on the market". It's that simple. In the winter many people take their homes off the market which reduces inventories. For those serious buyers willing to brave the elements to find their next property, that means fewer choices and may provide a better chance of a sale for those sellers who kept their properties available.

There are segments of the market that stay very busy during the winter. Other than the holidays, between Thanksgiving and New Years, we have historically sold a lot of properties during the winter months. Because the rivers don't' freeze over, riverfront properties in particular sometimes show better during the winter when it's very quiet and serene. The winter can be the most beautiful time of year on the river. Lakefront property is much more difficult especially once the ice forms. Few buyers are willing to commit to buying a lakefront property unless they can see the bottom and get a sense for what type of beach the property offers. Residential off water properties often see a slow down in the winter months as well because most buyers would prefer to not go through the moving process with lots of snow, ice and cold to deal with. Having said all of that, there are buyers who are actively looking throughout the winter and they're not going to buy your property if they don't know it's available.

If you do plan to sell in the winter, here are a few suggestions. Leave the power and water on. It's tough to get a warm fuzzy feeling about a property when it's 10 degrees in the living room and there are no lights to turn on. It may cost a bit to heat through the winter, but you'll increase your chances of a sale dramatically. Make sure to keep the driveway and walks free from snow and ice. This is important from not only a liability standpoint, but also in terms of creating a great showing experience. It makes it tough to feel good about a property when you just lost your shoe trudging through 2 feet of snow coming up the driveway and had to chip away ice to get the front door open. Some cost will be involved to arrange for the snow removal, but if you're committed to getting your home sold it's a very easy way to set your property apart from those that are either not on the market or those where the seller hasn't gone to the same lengths.