As Staten Islanders enjoy autumn and begin thinking about spending the approaching holiday season in the warmth of their home, some may be considering relocation to a new home and putting their current one on the marketplace.
Selling your home during the winter months can be a daunting task. The holiday season is already a hectic time of year and selling a house can be stressful. However, there are distinct advantages to selling your home during the winter.
“The housing inventory is always lower in the winter months, meaning fewer listings and less competition,” said Dilshad (Dil) Gillani, president of the Staten Island Board of Realtors (SIBOR). “By just taking a few simple steps to prepare and stage your home, you can sell your home sooner rather than later.”
Here is some advice from SIBOR to make sure your house is sold at the best price and with the least amount of stress this winter:
1) Keep your home warm. It may seem obvious, but make sure that the moment potential buyers walk into your home they can warm up from the chilly outdoors. “This will help would-be homebuyers imagine themselves coming in from the cold into their new house,” Gillani said. “You’ll also want to find any drafts in your house and seal them up. They’ll be very noticeable in your otherwise warm and toasty home.”
2) Holiday Plans. Make sure that you plan any trips out of town or holiday parties well ahead of time. Timing is extremely important when selling a home, so you want to make sure that offers aren’t coming in when you’re out of town or that potential buyers show up during your annual family holiday dinner.
3) Decorate for the season. Keep your seasonal decorations conservative, but a light and bright or beautifully decorated home with well-placed greenery can give prospective buyers a picture of how their own decorations could fit in the home. “Just make sure that you remove any holiday decorations as soon as the holidays are over,” Gillani said. “Do not be the house with lights still up in February.”
4) Manage Your Curb Appeal. Many houses look their best during the warmer months, but a home with simple seasonal decorations, bright lights or greenery is still warm and inviting and appealing to would-be buyers. You should make sure that your driveway and sidewalks are always swept or shoveled and clear off any decks or patios. Also, remove any potentially dangerous dangling icicles or built up snow from your roof.
5) Hire a Realtor®. Finally, SIBOR reminds sellers that all real estate is local, so it’s important to work with a Realtor® who is familiar with your neighborhood and community. Realtors® know what buyers in your area are looking for and can create a marketing strategy that will help you achieve the best results.
About The Staten Island Board of REALTORS® (SIBOR)
At 100 years old, the Staten Island Board of REALTORS® (SIBOR) is the largest not-for-profit professional and trade association in Staten Island, N.Y.
SIBOR exists to enhance the ability and opportunity of its members to conduct their business successfully and ethically, and promote the preservation of the public’s right to own, transfer and use real property.
Comprised of approximately 1,800 members, SIBOR serves real estate agents, brokers and affiliated professionals throughout the borough and surrounding areas.
SIBOR is the provider of the Staten Island Multiple Listing Service Inc. (SIMLS), which works as a clearinghouse through which more than 250 local real estate firms exchange information on properties they have listed for sale. Together, its members participate in over 3,000 real estate transactions every year.
All SIBOR Realtors belong to the New York State Association of REALTORS® (NYSAR) and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).
SIBOR may be reached at 718-928-3220 and viewed online at www.SIBOR.com. SIBOR may also be visited on Facebook at “Staten Island Board of Realtors” and “SIBOR 100” (showcasing some of the organization’s latest highlights and accomplishments), and on Twitter via @SIBOR.
Media Contact: Barton Horowitz
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