How Can Homeowners Help Sell a Home?

Homeowners Helping Sell a home

It’s winter – the days short, the weather frigid - and unless you are someone who is trying to sell a second home at Sunday River Ski Resort or Sugarloaf Mountain, chances are you understand this is a challenging time of year to sell your house.

Fear not: with the right agent, strategic pricing, and the right marketing approach, you homeowners still do have several things you can do to help sell a home no matter what the time of year. 

Show Your Bills

If you have made energy-efficient improvements to your home -- like added insulation, double pane windows, a new energy efficient furnace, etc.-- this is the time to brag about it.  Collect data on the average heating bill in Lewiston-Auburn for similar sized homes and compare it yours and display to potential buyers. Energy efficiency is a big selling feature with oil pricing as high as they are. Significant savings year after year can help sell a Lewiston-Auburn home this time of year.

Crank the Heat While we’re on the topic of heat, nothing makes a potential winter buyer warm up quicker than – you guessed it - a warm, inviting home!   Comfortable homes also feel well cared-for and lived-in: that’s something buyers will not find in discounted foreclosed or REO homes they may also be viewing.  Few things send a buyer out the door quicker this time of year than a chilly house, so even if you're conservative, crank up the heat before your scheduled showing. Makes sure that is part of your routine as well as turning on all the lights before you leave the house.

Shovel, Shovel, Shovel Few chores are as labor-intensive as shoveling snow, but if you want to sell a home in the winter, make sure your driveway is well plowed and walkways shoveled well. Do you want buyers slipping and sliding into your driveway? Even if you never use your front door, you enter through the garage, make sure every entrance is clear of snow and ice. You do not want a buyer thinking “Oh, that’s so much work, they don’t even bother”.  A buyer may not fixate on whether or not the front steps were clear, but they will remember if they had to push through snowdrifts to get there. Or worse yet, they pass on going inside altogether! I’ve seen this. The competition amongst homes is too strong so get in the right mindset and burn off those extra holiday calories.  Keep your entrances clear and you will help keep similar nagging thoughts off buyers’ minds. You want to keep their concentration back where it belongs – falling in love with their future house!

While the season may be beyond your control, the right approach to sell a home can make all the difference.  If you are intending to sell a home this season or even down the road, do give me a call anytime.  I’ve got a game plan for the Lewiston-Auburn market this winter or anytime -- and together we can make it happen!