Tips To Sell Your Home This Fall/Winter

 As the cold weather approaches, sellers need to pay extra attention to certain details to set them apart from their competition.

Here are some tips to keep your home ahead of the game:

A Warm Home = A Cozy Home
When potential buyers come inside your home they want it to feel cozy and inviting. When a home is cold it will turn off the buyers, not giving your home the chance it deserves. Also buyers like to know that someone is actually living there and taking care of the property, so spend the extra money to make it as inviting and comfortable as possible. On the reverse side, you don't want your home too hot as bundled up buyers will be uncomfortable and your utility bills will be sky high. A comfortable temperature this time of year is 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit)

Let The Light Shine In!
If you have showings during the day, don't be afraid to open up all your curtains and blinds and even roll up your blinds half way (unless you have old ugly windows, or starting straight at a brick wall). If your showings are in the evening, then put on all your lights, even side table lamps, again this makes the home look cozy and potential buyers won't be fumbling for light switches in the dark and truly enjoying your home. With dark rooms, place lighting behind the furniture to give it that bright effect.


It's All About The Senses
We all know first impressions are everything and that includes how your home smells to potential buyers. It's one of the first things they will notice when they go inside your home and it needs to smell good! Make sure you don't have any dirty dishes in the sink with food stuck on them, throw out all spoiled food from the fridge (as buyers can be snoopy) and take out all garbage, compost and recycling before your showings. Also to give your home an inviting smell, you can use Glade Plug In with a smell that is not too overbearing like vanilla or cinnamon, a perfect smell with the holiday season just around the corner, burn a scented candle 1/2 hour before your first showing or get a fresh boutique of flowers, like this one here, from Coriander Girl. It will be one more step towards making your home feel cozy.

A Landscaped Yard Is A Happy Home
Flowers are not exactly flourishing this time of year, but that doesn't mean your front or back yard has to look drab and dingy. Cutting your grass once a week is a must and fallen leaves should be cleared up as much as possible. Adding flowers such as mums, which come in an array of colours, on your front or back porch makes a nice touch. Also stores such as Home Depot or Lowes carry nice fall flower arrangements, which are easy, all you have to do is place them in a good spot outdoors. Another great idea is using black foxtail plumes, those definitely remind me of fall and look nice outside your home!!!! Lastly anything with pine also works, it's able to suffer through the coldweather and also reminds me of the holidays and family time which is perfect, as you want potential buyers to be able to picture themselves and their family in your home.

Fall is a great time to sell your home, especially since the Toronto market is going to finish strong for 2011 and prospective buyers are hoping to make a decision before the holidays and hopefully spend their first holiday in their new home. Take advantage of the fall market by pricing your home correctly, adhering to my tips and calling me to list your home. Hope to hear from you soon!