Staging a Home During the Cooler Months

No doubt about it, spring and summer can add certain appeal to a home. Nonetheless, fall and winter also have their own appeal. Sellers should not despair because of the short days and long nights of the cold season. There are many things they can do to enhance the beauty of their properties. Buyers usually look for specific things in a home during the cooler months and this is what sellers should capitalize on. Here are a few guidelines to go by.

Make the Most of the Season

In spring and summer, staging is all about letting the light in and creating bright and airy environments. The cold seasons are a different case. During this time, sellers should focus on making their interiors warm and welcoming. They should ensure the furnace and central heating are high enough to keep the house warm. Fireplaces can be buyer bait when staged properly. However, they should be devoid of dirt and clutter to set the tone for the room. Homeowners should also add warm touches in a creative way. They can bake cookies or burn cinnamon and other winter spices. These touches exude warmth and make a home feel cozy and inviting.

Create Fall and Winter Curb Appeal

A yard can attract potential buyers even without bright flowers and leafy trees. Tell your sellers to camouflage bare spots with mulch. They can add the mulch to flower beds and around the shrubbery. Buyers don’t like messy yards so homeowners should do their best to keep their yards neat. They should rake the yards, mow the grass, and clean the gutters. To add extra value to your listing, think outside the box. Advise sellers to stage their exteriors uniquely to make them stand out from the others in the street.

Make Sure Buyers Can Easily Access the Entryway

Snowy weather and rain in fall and winter can make it hard for buyers to access the front door of a listing. Sellers should ensure that buyers can easily access their entryways without going to too much trouble. They should plough their driveways and sand and salt walkways for safety. Additionally, they should provide ample space on their porches and patios to allow buyers to take off their shoes comfortably. They can place mats by their front doors to capture bits of grit attached to shoes and to protect their floors.

Bring in Light and Greenery

Fall and winter days might be short but that doesn’t mean that homeowners can’t take advantage of natural light. Tell sellers to open their blinds to let in more light during the day. On dark days, they can complement natural light with artificial light.  They should also add plants and flowers as these make an interior cozier. Flowers add a dash of color and can cheer up any dull room.

Add Tasteful, Original Decorations

Stylish decorations can make a home sell faster. Good holiday décor is simple, quiet, and elegant. Minimalist is the way to go when decorating – one dining centerpiece, one Christmas tree, and one wreath on the front door. Sellers should use tall, narrow trees to preserve floor space and to give emphasis to a room’s height. They should steer clear of customized items like monogrammed stockings. When decorations are too personal, they hinder buyers from picturing themselves in the space. To avoid clutter, sellers should remove a non-holiday decoration for every holiday accessory added. The colder months of the year might spell doom for some sellers, but they can be just as beneficial as the warmer months. Sellers should focus on one major thing: staging for the season. They should make their interiors the focus to make buyers feel at home.