The holidays are different from the time of the year people plan to sell their homes. Simultaneously, it’s not also a bad time to sell.
While your sell time may be much slower, competition is less fierce, and buyers are more serious. This makes it easier for your property to stand out from the rest of the pack, hopefully selling fast.
Here are some handy tips for selling your home during the holidays, minus the added stress:
1. Deck the Halls for the Holidays
It’s the holidays, so why not deck the halls? The goal is not to distract holiday buyers from your actual home. Instead, go with minimal décor that highlights your home’s best features.
Do you have a two-story family room? Then, why not put up a 10 feet tree? Do you have a cozy fireplace? Then why not decorate it with festive garlands?
As much as possible, stick with generic holiday décor instead of religious ones. This avoids offending potential buyers. By creating a cozy atmosphere, you can build a space that prospects will feel right at home in, especially during this festive time of the year.
2. Take off Personal Items As Much as You Can
The holidays are a great way to show holiday-themed family portraits or your recent holiday party.
Although this is true, showing off personal items will make it difficult for prospects to picture themselves or their families in your home.
This is true whether you sell your home during the holidays or any other year. Make sure that you remove all personal items as much as possible. You want people to picture themselves and their loved ones in that tastefully decorated space.
3. Record a Virtual Homes Tour
There’s a reason why many homeowners are a bit reluctant to market their properties during the holiday season. Christmas and Thanksgiving are one of the busiest times of the year.
Covid-19 is still here; fortunately, there are many safe alternatives. The holidays are the best time of the year to schedule a virtual open house. You can work with your agent by scheduling a tour and posting it online.
That way, you won’t have any Covid-19 concerns and can also maximize your audience with your ad. This gives potential buyers a sneak preview of what it’s like in your home. It helps them increase their interest and improves your chances of a quick sale.
A short video tour of your property can also attract house hunters who don’t have the time to see your property physically or live out of state.
4. Offer Holiday-themed Incentives
Offering prospects a present will encourage them to make an offer. While bringing along a big batch of chocolate chip cookies during an open house mind sounds cliché, this is an excellent time-honored real estate strategy. You might even want to spice things up with pumpkin pies, holiday goodies, gingerbread cookies, etc.
Another great incentive is closing cost assistance, wherein you help them with other expenses, such as moving costs and other associated fees.
It’s best to offer what you can afford, know the market, and talk it over with your real estate agent. You don’t have to worry if you have to sell your home during the holidays.
Despite what other people think, properties do sell during this period. Also, if you do your part, you can instantly find a qualified buyer even before the holidays’ end.
5. Price your Home Correctly
Pricing your home right from the get-go opens for the right buyers, and offers will be on the table.
So, instead of putting small price deductions, price your property to sell from the start. A great rule of thumb is placing your property 5% under your closest competitors. Real estate agents also advise slashing your prices before putting your property on the market.
6. Seek Motivated Agents
Anyone doing house hunting during the holiday season has an excellent reason for doing so. Make sure that you work closely with your agent so that you can target buyers who are on a deadline.
Make sure your agent has a history of buying and selling properties during the holidays.
You don’t want to work with someone who has disappeared on vacation at this time of the year. Make sure that you have someone who will be willing to work with you throughout the process, even if there’s a buyer who can submit an offer during Christmas eve, like professionals from realestatepros.co.nz.
7. Invest in Professional Photography
Photos have the power to make or break a sale. It’s also one of the first things prospective buyers want to see. Thus, those online photos need to look great.
You are making a good first impression by showcasing plenty of high-quality photos in your place. As much as possible, have a summer or spring photo available so prospects can see what it looks like all year round.
Over to You
Don’t make selling your home at this time of the year as stressful as it should be. You’ll wrap up a good deal by following these handy selling tips for selling your property this season.
Also, make sure to relax and enjoy this season with your family. Remind yourself that if you don’t sell now, there’s always next year, and that’s quite literally just a few weeks or days away. Good luck!