Selling a home during the holidays requires a little creativity. Here are ideas to help you get that sold sign in the yard before the holidays are over.
1. Make an Extra Investment in Online Promotions
When the weather outside isn’t delightful, homebuyers spend more time than usual online looking for their new home. Your online channels need high-quality images to interest the buyers in visiting the house. This isn’t time to take your own photos of the house. Invest in professional photography. If home videos are traditional in your community, a professional should create it.
2. Send Holiday Greetings
If mailing or emailing holiday cards aren’t part of your regular marketing efforts, you may want to adopt the practice. Advertising the house in your holiday cards isn’t recommended. However, including how to connect with you via your website, blog, or social media pages is acceptable. Presumably, the house for sale is already prominently featured on all of your online channels.
3. Gently Remind Your Seller Curb Appeal Still Matters
The outside of a home on the market during winter still needs to be visually appealing. Encouraging your seller to make the exterior look its best is important. If your seller needs gentle guidance about what needs to be done, you might offer these suggestions.
- Gutters and the yard should be free of sticks, autumn leaves, or other debris.
- The yard and porch need to be clear of what you might politely refer to as personal belongings (also known as clutter).
- For everyone’s safety, exterior stairs and walkways must be kept clear of snow and ice.
- Illuminating the path to the house and any special outdoor features is a nice touch.
4. Stage the Home to Feel Cozy
As homebuyers look around the home, you want them to imagine themselves warm and cozy in this home during next year’s holiday season. A well-lit interior and attractive blankets in strategic spots will promote the right atmosphere. For open houses, the heat needs to be set high enough to keep the home warm despite the frequent entrances and exits. A roaring fire on the hearth emphasizes the home’s working fireplace.
Your sellers may want to decorate their home for the holidays. You may want to let your sellers know a little holiday decor that complements the home’s color scheme supports your staging. If they go overboard with holiday decorations, the home feels cluttered and buyers can’t see all of the home’s features.
5. Host a Holiday-Themed Open House
Of course, you first need your sellers’ permission to throw a holiday party in their home. Since it’s the holidays, it’s necessary to make an effort beyond your regular open house advertising to get a critical mass of people to attend the party. You’re trying to build a buzz in the community about this house. Make sure the neighbors on the block get invited even if it requires walking invitations to their doors.
It’s important the invitation emphasizes it’s a family-friendly celebration and the kiddos are welcome. You don’t want to lose parents who are home with kids out of school. Remember you need a couple of crafts to occupy the little ones.
Have a true party with a festive holiday atmosphere. Bake holiday cookies for the guests to decorate and eat. Serve warm apple cider. Play instrumental holiday music to prevent offending potential buyers with lyrics.
6. Target Time-Motivated Buyers
People who want to purchase a house this time of year usually have a time-sensitive reason for doing so. They may be relocating to the area for a new job. For instance, some colleges and universities hire additional staff for the semester that starts in January. If your area is home to a military base, recently reassigned military personnel sometimes purchase housing rather than live on base.
