Selling a House in Winter

From the Wall Street Journal:

Q: I live in Bethesda, Md. Most people around here put their homes on the market in the spring, when everything is in bloom. But I need to sell my home now. What can I do to make it more marketable?
A: Although winter is the most challenging time to put your house on the market, you can turn the season to your advantage if you emphasize the qualities that make your house more inviting than the competition.
Associated Press
While a log cabin in Alaska may be cozy, many homes aren't as appealing to buyers during the winter months.
Here are some tips:
Keep up with maintenance. In their rush to get their homes ready to show, many sellers forget to button up their homes for the winter. But buyers will notice the icicles that form when gutters aren't cleaned, and will feel the drafts from windows that haven't been weather-stripped. If you need to move out before your house is sold, don't forget to turn off the valves to outside spigots and drain them so pipes don't freeze and burst. Also, if your house is vacant, hire someone to make sure tree branches felled by ice are hauled away, your walks, steps and driveway are always kept free from snow, and floors aren't dirty with tracked-in salt and sand.
Take down holiday decorations. Although some agents think holiday lights and Christmas trees make a house festive, they can be a turn-off to buyers who don't share your religious beliefs -- particularly in an area like yours, which has a diverse population. It's better simply to stick to hot cider and a roaring fire during your open houses.
Emphasize energy efficiency. Buyers are always interested in knowing a home's operating costs, but these concerns naturally come to the fore during winter. List everything you have done to your home to make it more energy efficient, from beefing up insulation and wrapping pipes with foam sleeves to replacing windows and appliances. You might want to copy utility bills and leave them out for showings as well. (To foil potential identity thieves, black out your account number.)
Getting the Best Price
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Lighten up. Everyone wants more light in the winter, so make your house is as bright as possible. Window screens block an amazing amount of sunshine, so put them in storage (don't toss them, though -- home inspectors will note if there are any missing). Have your windows cleaned and take down heavy draperies. If your house is unoccupied, put some lights on timers so it will look inviting from the street at night. Also, consider putting motion detectors on walk-in closet lights, so they'll turn on when buyers open the door.
Show other seasons. Even though buyers can't see your azaleas in bloom under the snow, you can help them visualize other times of year. Hang or arrange photos of your house with the maple tree in full glory on the mantel, or buy a digital picture frame and upload photos you may have taken of the flower beds in different seasons. Put it on the kitchen table, next to the stacks of brochures, so buyers can't miss it. Also, use landscaping software to create a diagram of your yard. Mark what's planted in beds and identify the types of trees and shrubs, as well as any water features or statuary that might be covered up by snow. (A hint: If your family is in the pictures, crop or Photoshop them out; you want buyers to project themselves mentally into the scene.)
Update Web photos regularly. These days, homes can spend weeks on the market -- though agents sometimes try to hide that fact by withdrawing and then relisting houses. But buyers can immediately spot a stale listing if the photo is out of season. I hope your house sells quickly, but if it doesn't, please make sure that you or your agent updates photos on Web sites and marketing materials as soon as the trees leaf out and the daffodils start to bloom.
Write to June Fletcher at fletcher.june@wsj.com