5 Tips for Listing Your Home During the Holidays It's a better time to sell than you'd think! December 12, 2022 When you sell your home during the holidays, you will face less competition, find more serious buyers, and may even be up for a quicker sales process. It also presents a unique opportunity to create a warm and cozy environment that you can’t offer during the spring and summer months. Below are a few tips from the DOBI team for listing your home during the winter season. DECLUTTER An important part of staging a home in any season is to clear out the clutter. Angela Snedeker, Realtor at DOBI says, “Decluttering is extremely important when getting ready to list your home. Not only does decluttering make your home appear cleaner, but also brighter, and larger.” During the holiday months, many homeowners tend to bring out every possible decoration they can, which is why DOBI Realtor Naria Jones stressed the importance of cleaning and decluttering: “When potential buyers walk into the home, they like to create a vision of what it looks as their own. Always make sure you clean and declutter before a showing.” When staging a home, you want it to feel open and spacious. Too much clutter and too many decorations on top of that can stifle potential buyers. STAGE FOR THE HOLIDAYS Homes often look their best during the holidays, but sellers should be careful not to overdo it on the decor. Most homebuyers are likely to start their house hunt from the comfort of their homes by browsing listings online. Make a good first impression by offering lots of flattering, high-quality photos of your home. If possible, have a summer or spring photo of your home available so buyers can see how it looks year-round. DOBI Real Estate’s Sales and Operations Coordinator Wennessa Bonin says; “Decorating your home for the holidays will make it look warm, cozy, inviting, and feel great for showings but keep the decorations to a minimum for listing photos to be able to reuse them beyond the holiday season if needed.” Maximize Curb Appeal Your neighborhood may actually look more appealing to homebuyers during the holiday season. You don’t want to go overboard with your exterior holiday decorations, but you want to make your house shine along with the other homes on your block. During these winter days, your lawn may not be that lush green it usually is during the summertime, and your trees may currently be barren. That’s why making your curb appeal a top priority is necessary when selling your home during the winter months. Amber Lauer, a member of the Lauer Power Team at DOBI Real Estate says; “To maximize the buyer experience, you want your home to look aesthetically pleasing. I always think of how I get ready for an average day and how I get ready to go to a special event. The same goes for getting your home ready to sell. You have to get your home ready for the special event of listing!” GET AN Inspection Prior to Listing A pre-listing inspection is a service to help sellers during their home-selling journey. This type of home inspection allows sellers to take a proactive approach and get ahead of repairs needed within their homes. A pre-listing Inspection can also help the home sell faster and reduce unexpected negotiations and issues that tend to occur after the buyers inspection. According to DOBI Agent Mark Kattula, “Most deals die after the inspection, so beat your buyers to it.” Make sure that everything is in working order so that if potential buyers make an offer and inspect the home, there won’t be any surprises. Price Competitively You and your listing agent should come up with a pricing strategy based on comparable homes in the area. If your home looks like all the other homes on the block with similar features, a lower price point will definitely draw in more traffic. However, if your home is the largest one on the block, or offers more unique features, you can price your home based on the increased value it provides. When it comes to pricing, DOBI Agent Jordan Goodman had this piece of advice to offer: “People are already spending a lot during the holiday season. If you want a buyer to pull the trigger, it is important to price your home fairly so they feel they are getting the best bang for their buck.” Sources: HGTV Landmark Home Warranty Redfin Wini