It’s tough to sell a home at any point during the year, but winter presents a set of challenges that are unique to the home buying process. Here are our tips for making sure you have a smooth home selling process in the winter:

Make Sure Your Home Can Be Accessed.

This sounds obvious, but sometimes your home can’t be easily accessed in the wintertime due to weather factors such as snow or ice. If you know people are going to be touring your home, have the driveway and sidewalk shoveled so there’s easy access for them. In general, it’s a good idea to keep the pathways in front of your home clear just in case an unexpected showing is scheduled.

Keep Your Home Heated.

Even if you aren’t home, keep your home heated during the winter as long as it’s on the market. You never know when someone will want to tour your home, and you don’t want them focused on how cold it is inside as opposed to how much of a fit they are.

Take Advantage of a Winter Showing.

If prospective homebuyers are touring your home during the winter, they’re going to want to know that it’s equipped to handle winters. This means during home showings, turn on “winter amenities” such as fireplaces or heaters. This will also add an element of coziness to your home that will help it sell faster.

Don’t Ignore Outside.

It’s too easy to forget that you have an outdoor area during the winter. However, you want to draw attention to the fact that you have lovely outdoor amenities that could be used during the summer. If the space is hard to show during the winter, have your agent draft up a flyer with photos or descriptions of the amenities. This will ensure that potential homebuyers don’t rule out your home because of a miscommunication in what the home has to offer.