Selling Your Home In The Winter
By Anjana Appanna

Its the holiday season and everything is selling at the blink of an eye. Except maybe your house. Its a well known fact that in some parts of the country its tricky to sell a house during the winter season. Tricky but not altogether impossible. You can definitely do certain things to speed up the sale and clinch that deal.

For starters, if your house has been on the market for several months maybe its time to make some changes. Ask your real estate agent to reassess the selling price and marketing strategies. Look at other similar houses and check if your selling price is perhaps too high to ask for in the winter months. Your price should correspond with the season and not be one that has been marked during the peak season.

Marketing techniques should transcend the average ad in a newspaper or a listing on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Ensure that word about your offer is reaching the right target of house-shoppers. Your agent should aid you in every step of the way and keep you involved.

If by any chance you are dissatisfied with the agent, contact the owner of the agency and request for another agent. Or if the agency itself is not keeping you happy and you're not bound by any contractual agreement, its time to shop for another agency.

After taking care of the above, do all you can to tidy up your house. One of the advantages of selling in the winter is that those who brave the weather to pay a visit to your home are actually serious buyers. So make sure that the house is in good condition and you add the fine touches when you have prospective buyers coming over.

Step into the shoes of a buyer and take a good look at your house. You will see all the repairs and changes need to be done and all the clutter that needs to be removed.

Here are some general tips. Open up the drapes and add more lighting. You could also keep photos of your house in the summer and spring time out in places where they are clearly visible. This gives the buyer a better idea of how the house looks in other seasons when the yard looks great with all the blossoming flowers and sunshine.

Do all your winter chores to create a good impression of the house in all seasons. Shovel your driveway neatly and keep the walkway clean. Make sure the furnace is working properly and the temperature inside is maintained at a comfortable level. The basement should be checked for dampness and any drafts that may steal in.

Even though its the holiday season, don't go overboard with the decorations. Give the buyer an opportunity to view the house as it generally is.

If you've paid attention to all the details and have got the word out there, no matter the season, you will have buyers coming in. Just make sure you stay on top of things!