Articles | Selling Your Bethlehem Home During The Winter Time

Looking to market your Bethlehem PA home at this time? The timing is unpleasant should you need to sell your home in the winter season, the slowest and dreariest real estate sales cycle. Cheer up, there are ways to overcome this slow sales period. Staging, reduced competition and some seasonal options can be used in your advantage.

You may not choose to sell at this time of year but there are some things you can do to enhance your probabilities to sell.

Numerous Bethlehem homeowners take their houses off the market at this time of year if they haven't sold and that is easy to understand. The Holiday season, from Thanksgiving through to early January, is a very slow season for home sales. Folks put their home shopping needs on hold during the time they attend to holiday needs.

The North East weather is another contributing factor in slowing down housing sales. According to NAR (National Association of Realtors), January and February have the least number of home sale closings . An additional contributing variable to slower sales at this time of year are families not wanting to make the move in the midst of the academic year.

Due to the reduced demand for real estate at this time of year, sellers need to do anything they can to make their home catch the eye from the competition.

Here are some strategies to greatly improve the chance of selling your house at this time of year:

Think basics

Home repair and maintenance are a must if you are a homeowner, notwithstanding the time of year. Included in this group is developinging good curb appeal. This one thing can make a world of difference when it comes to generating interest and offers in your home. Furthermore, thorough cleaning up and de-cluttering is essential when selling any home.

Pricing your house properly and aggressively is essential in a slow market. Ask a real estate agent to check the latest sale prices in you immediate neighborhood. They can also look into currently listed houses to gauge your current competition. Sites like like Zillow.com or Trulia.com can also be taken advantage of. Appropriately priced houses always sell, despite the time of year.

Think inviting & warm

Staging procedures are especially essential in the winter. Common staging techniques like rearranging furniture or painting some rooms are just as important as before. However, during winter months, creating a comfortable, warm atmosphere by turning up the heat, having an inviting, picturesque fire burning and creating a scent of vanilla or cinnamon throughout the house will make your residence stand out over any vacant homes on the market.

During this time of year, it is very common to have uninhabited homes with thermostats set to 50 degrees and no furniture. As you can envision, your residence will do much better in comparison! Another staging trick - displaying pictures of your property during summer time. This invokes the imagination of your likely buyers and enables them to visualize the household during the warmer months.

More Light = Offers

Let's face it, there is less brightness during the wintertime. Residences tend to appear darker due to the diminished daylight. Convert your home into an oasis of light by turning on all the lights. Pull back curtains, raise the blinds, and let whatever natural light exists to cascade into your house.

An additional point to make is to discourage evening time showings. Not all showings are going to occur during the day so anticipate this. Make sure that your outdoor illumination is in tip-top shape. Constantly keep your residence lit up at night because you never know when a would-be buyer is driving by to investigate the house and neighborhood.

Keep It Tasteful During The Holidays

The Holiday season is a great time to highlight your home but ensure to keep the decorations classy. This isn't the moment to set the world record for the brightest roof and front lawn! Sprucing up the "For Sale" sign in the front yard with a bow and garland is a awesome way to add a special holiday flair.

Using an eloquent winter wreath on the front entrance with poinsettias and holly bushes will help keep a wonderful holiday spirit and retain great curb appeal during the dim and cold post-Holiday months. These are the months that Bethlehem home buyers start to escape the confines of their dwellings and become more active in looking for homes and actually re-engage in the home buying process.