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It's Snowing!: Twin Cities Home Staging Professional Asks, Are You Ready?

By
Home Stager with www.HomeStagingCoaches.com

It's Snowing in the Twin Cities!  Usually by now this has lost it's thrill for the residents of St Paul and Minneapolis Minnesota.  By December snow is often both deep and a nasty color of brown.  But not this year. Yeah Snow.

While the snow is beautiful and makes me want to run out and by a Christmas Tree this very second it also brings to mind some things that as a Professional Home Stager I would like sellers to be aware of.

When you are selling real estate in the winter in a cold climate like we have in the Twin Cities buyers thoughts go to issues such as:

  • How much work will it be to keep                                                                                                     this property shoveled?  suggestions for home staging in the winter months
  • What is the condition of the furnace and windows?
  • Where am I going to park my car during the inevitable snow emergencies?

What I do as a home stager is educate sellers on what they can do to stand out from the competition. It is so important to try to view your property from a buyer's perspective.  You want to get into a buyer's head. I have three suggestions for you:

  1. Keep the sidewalks, driveways, and access points from the road to the house completely clear.  Don't make buyers tip-toe up to your property.  You want them to march up to your house admiring it's curb appeal, not staring down at their feet. Keeping everything shoveled and free of ice also reinforces that keeping it up is no big deal at all.  You don't want them thinking about where they are going to find an extra two hours everytime it snows to clear the crive and walks.
  2. If you have newer windows, furnace, or have implemented the suggestions you were given during an energy audit...shout it from the rooftops. Leave notes, or warranties out for them to see.  If you haven't thought about how to make your home more energy efficient it is not too late.  There are many excellent resources available on the internet and some tax incentives still available to help with the cost.
  3. Keep the driveway plowed.Even if your property is vacant, or your garage is filled with moving boxes rather than cars keep the access to the driveway cleared.  Garages take on special importance to Minnesotans during the winter.

If you live in the Twin Cities metro area and  are getting ready to sell you home or are having trouble getting people interested in your property I would welcome the opportunity to tour your property with you to give you my home staging recommendations.

For information about services, pricing, before and after photos, or to check out prior customer referrals you can go to my website.

 

Posted by

Christi Bond, owner

The Home Staging Coaches

www.homestagingcoaches.com

651.735.3985 or 651.587.5887 (cell)

Specializing in Vacant Home Staging and Room Makeovers in the greater Twin Cities, Minnesota area

Comments (6)

Lindsey Hasford
Edina Realty - Elk River, MN
Bringing you home...

LOL. My kids measured our snow this morning. It is brown and nasty looking, but only because we didn't get enough to cover the ground! Perhaps when it's a little taller and we can play in it I'll be more excited.
Your post is spot on... for buyers it's oober important to see what snow removal will look like. I sat in an open house last year and my car wouldn't make it up the "hill" of a drive. I had to park at the bottom and walk up. I have several people try and visit that couldn't make it up the "hill" of a drive either - two of which simply turned around and left. I can't blame them!

Dec 04, 2011 02:03 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Christi- Great info even if we don't have to worry about the snow here!  I do remember when we were looking for a house in VA in January.  Yes, there was snow around and you're right, we did look at some and wondered how we were going to keep everything plowed!

Dec 04, 2011 05:32 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Oh, I feel sorry for people who are selling a home in snowy or icy weather conditions!  I consulted on a home in Portland this week that has a heated concrete driveway, just in case of snow or ice, which happens here infrequently.  What a great idea!

Dec 04, 2011 07:58 AM
Anonymous
Christi Bond

A heated driveway...I would be thrilled if the floor of my bathroom had radiant heat!  Thanks for all the comments, It was nice to hear from you.

 

Dec 04, 2011 12:05 PM
#4
Kathy Burke
Sensational Home Staging~~Danville, CA - Danville, CA
S.F. East Bay Home Staging

Christi.....Well not to brag.....but just finished having lunch today sitting outside enjoying our December Bay Area weather!  Sure an earthquake now and again but......it was GREAT today:

Lunch in December - California Style

Dec 04, 2011 01:14 PM
Anonymous
Christi Bond

The Bay area is about as close to paradise as we have in the continental US.  You are fortunate to have landed there.  We in the middle states are always jealous of home stagers on the coasts, especially big cities on the coasts.  The rumor is that home staging is a much more accepted practice there.  Do you find that to be true?

Christi

Amazing-Transformations.net

Dec 05, 2011 12:50 AM
#6