Winter Wonderland Tips for Showing Houses in the Snow

Now that much of the country is blanketed with snow, we can enjoy the fact that we are used to snow in Connecticut.  We own shovels, snow blowers, and plows, plus ski pants, boots, and mittens.  With snow all over the country, it becomes easier to look at real estate in places with the equipment to do so.  Plus, it's a lot warmer here than in much of the Midwest, or even Texas!

Traditionally, buyers haven't really looked much at homes in the winter, and sellers haven't listed that early.  This year may be very different, since supply is short, and people should be willing to look whenever there is property to view.

If you want to list your home now--and we would highly encourage that--you should do a few things.  One is to make sure that your driveway is plowed, and your steps and walkways are completely clear.  If they are not, you need to use a lot of salt or sand, which will track into your clean home.  It's also a good idea to have a fire going, if you have a fireplace, the heat turned up in any case, and something that smells good in the oven or on the stove. 

Hygge is one of the hottest terms of the decade, and cozy is definitely a selling point.  Make your home look, feel, and smell cozy, and you will be well on your way to an offer.  Lean into what you cannot change--if you can't make your backyard look like a party setting in the snow, try a snowman, for added atmosphere.  If you don't have flowers blooming, consider wreathes of dried flowers.  Bird feeders might bring a spot of color, if you are lucky.

We know that you need all those heavy outdoor clothes, but find a place to store them for showings.  It's hard to declutter in snowy weather, but well worth doing.  And find a place for all those winter implements, so that buyers can dream of summer.  Maybe pool toys by the back door instead?

It May Seem Early, But It's Time To List

Most people think of the real estate market as hibernating for the winter, coming alive in the early spring, and then heating up to a peak in May and June.  That's not necessarily the pattern everywhere, especially in a university town.  I have friends with a second home near Dartmouth.  With my help, they listed with a local agent this past week, and have two offers over the asking price.  They aren't in a true ski location, so why was this the right time?  Because colleges, universities, and even medical centers are making their offers to new faculty and staff now, to begin on July 1st, in many cases.  That makes June too late for many families to buy a home. Therefore, they are looking now.

But why the high price and the quick sale?  Since most sellers list in the spring, there isn't much to look at now.  If you have a well-priced home in a desirable area, you will get lots of buyers checking out your property.  In fact, Connecticut has more internet searches in January than in any other month.  Why not list when the buyers first appear?  You have less competition, and a longer season to sell.  Think of the old days when Christmas advertising would be geared toward the week before Christmas, and how that has crept up over the years to Thanksgiving.  It's the same principle:  Have your product in front of buyers when they are thinking about buying.

This year, it may feel like spring weather now, making it easier to get your home ready to show.  So take our advice, and get going!

Should you list your home early this year?

We are finding that levels of available listings in certain areas and price ranges are uncommonly low these days.  Most people wait for a spring market to list their home, thinking that most buyers are looking then, so their chances are greatest for selling at a good price.  Although this is true, there is another alternative, especially for homes that are in less than perfect condition, or in less than optimal locations, and that is to list when there isn't much competition.  Homes that are listed when someone needs or wants to buy will stand out if they are in a smaller number of new listings.

This is particularly true in our market, as we are so dominated by educational and medical institutions.  Those places work on a different calendar than most of private industry, and their season for making offers is earlier.  That means that, in Greater New Haven, early February kicks off the spring market for faculty and doctors beginning on July 1st.  That is substantially different from what sellers read in national media reports, where May 1st begins prime selling season.  Since buyers in our area are out sooner, they are searching when a smaller pool of choices is presented to them, and they may view new properties to the market more favorably than a bigger group of buyers would view one of a much bigger group of new listings, later in the year.  Many buyers tell us that they are expanding their parameters due to short supply, and a short timeline.  Your home can be considered, when it normally would not be, by those who need to make a move now.

What does that mean for sellers in our region?  If you've been thinking about selling, and you don't have a lot of work to do to your property before you list, you might consider listing in the next month, and having your home exposed to buyers from around the country, who are looking now to move in May or June, instead of the traditional July or August.  If you do have work to do, don't wait another minute.  There is always more to do than you think, and it always takes longer than you think to complete.  (Another advantage to listing sooner:  Workmen are easier to hire in the off season.)  Take advantage of time, and make it to your advantage.  Act now!