If you’re thinking of waiting until the spring thaw to sell your Staten Island home, you may want to rethink your plans.
At first, it may seem logical to wait: The cold winter months can keep potential home buyers and sellers out of the market until the snow starts to melt and flower begin to bloom. And, home sales volume is normally higher in warmer months, with 40 percent of all homes sold last year during the summer, according to the Staten Island Board of Realtors® (SIBOR).
“Yet, there are some advantages to selling a home during the winter, mainly due to inventory shortages and motivated buyers often willing to pay a higher price,” said Sandy Krueger, CEO of SIBOR.
According to the National Association of Realtors’® 2017 Profile of Home Staging, nearly 80 percent of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home.
When staging your home in winter, make certain it is kept at a warm temperature so potential buyers are comfortable when they walk inside from the cold, and follow these tips from HouseLogic.com:
START WITH A CLEAN SLATE
Before you can worry about where to place furniture and which wall hanging should go where, each room in your home must be spotless. Do a thorough cleaning right down to the nitpicky details like wiping down light switch covers. Deep clean and deodorize carpets and window coverings.
STOW AWAY YOUR CLUTTER
It’s harder for buyers to picture themselves in your home when they’re looking at your family photos, collectibles, and knickknacks. Pack up all your personal decorations. However, don’t make spaces like mantles and coffee and end tables barren.
SCALE BACK ON YOUR FURNITURE
When a room is packed with furniture, it looks smaller, which will make buyers think your home is less valuable than it is. Make sure buyers appreciate the size of each room by removing one or two pieces of furniture. If you have an eat-in dining area, using a small table and chair set makes the area seem bigger.
RETHINK YOUR FURNITURE PLACEMENT
Highlight the flow of your rooms by arranging the furniture to guide buyers from one room to another. In each room, create a focal point on the farthest wall from the doorway and arrange the other pieces of furniture in a triangle around the focal point. In the bedroom, the bed should be the focal point. In the living room, it may be the fireplace, and your couch and sofa can form the triangle in front of it.
ADD COLOR TO BRIGHTEN YOUR ROOMS
Brush on a fresh coat of warm, neutral-color paint in each room. Ask your real estate agent for help choosing the right shade. Then accessorize. Adding a vibrant afghan, throw, or accent pillows for the couch will jazz up a muted living room, as will a healthy plant or a bright vase on your mantle. High-wattage bulbs in your light fixtures will also brighten up rooms and basements.
SET THE SCENE
Lay logs in the fireplace, and set your dining room table with dishes and a centerpiece of fresh fruit or flowers. Create other vignettes throughout the home — such as a chess game in progress — to help buyers envision living there. Replace heavy curtains with sheer ones that let in more light.
Make your bathrooms feel luxurious by adding a new shower curtain, towels, and fancy guest soaps (after you put all your personal toiletry items are out of sight). Judiciously add subtle potpourri, scented candles, or boil water with a bit of vanilla mixed in. If you have pets, clean bedding frequently and spray an odor remover before each showing.
WORK WITH A REALTOR®
Be sure to work with a Realtor®, a member of the National Association of Realtors®, who can share more tips for listing your home. All SIBOR Realtors belong to the New York State Association of Realtors® (NYSAR) and the National Association of realtors® (NAR).
Contact the Staten Island Board of Realtors® or visit SIBORREALTORS.com for more information about selling or buying a home this winter.
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