Winter Curb Appeal
With the trees bare of their leaves, and the majority of the flowers hibernating till spring, you may well believe that winter could be a hard season to sell your home. Well, there’s no doubt that the summer months make everyone feel happier with warm days and summer blooms; however, with the right curb appeal during autumn and winter, your home will be just as welcoming for would-be buyers.
Prospective buyers find the most important feature when buying a property are the on-line photographs, followed by a drive by to see the property’s exterior. A good agent will upload good quality, up-to-date pictures to keep the listing current. There is nothing worse than seeing a house with summer blooms, in the middle of February. Even if buyers don’t check the length of time the house has been on the market, the pictures give it away.
But, how can you make a house seem not only attractive, but inviting to the buyer in the coldest of months? Well, luckily, nature comes to the rescue. By working with what nature provides, your front porch will look amazing.
Besides making the house look pretty, there are a number of important issues that need to be addressed when selling your property in the winter.
Safety First: Ensure that paths and driveways are gritted or salted to ensure there are no falls. The same goes for leaves in the Autumn/Fall months. Leaves can be a huge hazard for slipping when they are wet, or turning to mulch. It doesn’t take much to sweep them away, especially just before a viewing. And talking of leaves...
Leaves: Sweep/rake up leaves on pathways and lawn. Also, make sure all gutters are clear and free of leaves.
Lighting: As the nights draw in early, or winter fogs loom, outside lighting is important. There is nothing more inviting than lovely porch lights lit up, or chinks of light coming from slightly ajar blinds and curtains – welcoming the buyer to the house.
Numbers: I’ve never understood why home owners, in the UK, appear to relish having the smallest house numbers. If they are hard to see in the summer, they will be doubly hard to see in the dark of winter afternoons or evenings. Make changing out your house numbers to large, easy to see, maybe even illuminated – one of your first priorities when getting your home ready for sale.
Painting/Restaining: This should be done any time of the year you have the house on the market. Paint or re-stain your front door and update/polish existing hardware.
Plants/tubs: Now for the fun bit. Nature gives us presents in the winter months – well, actually, they are really gifts for the wildlife who depend on the berries for food. Imagine a container tub, filled with evergreen shrubs, red berries and white cyclamens, flanking a doorway. Or, maybe some white twigs, as a centrepiece, surrounded by ivy.
