Selling Your Home in Winter
With the recent heat wave, it can be difficult to believe that cold temperatures, wind, and rain are not too far away. And, for as much as Bay Area residents loathe the wind, rain, and cold temperatures, home sellers have a particularly strong dislike of the winter months.
Aparna Verma, a real estate agent with Prudential California Realty in Fremont, explains that more than inclement weather drives home sellers away from fall and winter. “A lot of people want to move by the end of summer, when the kids are not in school,” she explains. “As a result, there are many people who, if they haven’t found what they are looking for, will hold off. They’ll say, ‘Oh, we’ll move next year.'”
For that reason, Verma says sellers are often anxious as summer turns to fall. “Sellers will either try hard to sell before summer is entirely over, or take the house off the market if it is not sold.”
The seller who chooses to list during the winter months isn’t up against an impossible task, however. Verma says, “You always have a percentage of people who need to move. You have a smaller pool of buyers, but there isn’t much inventory, either.”
And Verma knows personally that buyers come into the Bay Area all through the year, rain or shine. She and her husband moved into their home in January. “We happened to transfer into the Bay Area, and we didn’t want to rent,” she explains. “In fact, in some ways, selling during the winter can be a benefit, because there isn’t much on the market.”
Todd Ensley, a real estate agent with Better Homes Realty in Oakland’s Montclair district, says that the actual down time is limited. “The actual slowdown is in late November, December, into early January. After the first few weeks of January, when everybody is recovered from the holidays, the market picks up again,” Ensley says.
He also says sellers shouldn’t be too worried about selling during the slow period. “In the last few years, even during the slower time period, there have been more buyers than homes available,” he explains.
Ensley says, however, that sellers who have their homes on the market during November, December, and January need to market their homes differently than they would during warmer weather. “They need to price their homes aggressively, and they need to present their home well,” he says. “Buyers won’t overpay for a home [this time of year], and they won’t buy a home that does not show well. Often, they will decide to just wait, because they have that option.”
Using a home staging professional is often a good way to make sure the home looks its best.
Lori Dunton, ASPM, is the owner of Bellus Design and Home Catalog in Brentwood, and a certified home staging professional. She recommends several ideas which help wintertime home sellers make their home more welcoming to potential buyers. “Make sure the blinds and curtains are open. You want to let the light in Have a fire going. Give your home that cozy feeling,” she explains. “Overall, you want to add color, and make the home as light and airy as possible.”
Whether summer or winter, Dunton says, “Add fresh flowers, or plants, in each room. Flowers are always a nice touch. And regardless of the time of year, you want to minimize your personal items, so you make it more inviting to the buyer. Don’t let them see lots of family portraits. Keep the setting neutral.
“Your ultimate goal,” Dunton notes, “summer, or winter, is to make sure the buyer can easily picture themselves living in the home.”
