Selling Your House in Winter
Winter blues? Maybe not! There are certain market advantages to selling in winter, Real Estate agent and local property expert Keith MacDonald explains.
Winter is here and generally we see fewer sales and new property listings as the chill creeps in and settles. Uprooting and managing the moving process after a sale isn’t as appealing in the cold; keeping warm and staying put in winter are, understandably, priorities for people. Putting off selling until spring or summer is a good handwave to the winter headaches that can come with selling, and plenty of encouragement about timing comes from our side of the fence too.
But before you put it off, know you are shortening your position because life does keep moving in winter. People move to new places and new jobs all the time. Changes in family situations also cause a shuffle. So, what you should ask yourself before waiting for a seasonal change is, do the unique advantages of selling in winter apply to my home’s context? Your property might be exactly what someone is seeking. The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand reported 479 sales were recorded in Christchurch in August last year (2022), surprising given the impacts of Covid and the forecasted rise of interest rates at the time.
Making an enquiry to sell does not mean you have to commit, but you go in with the assumption that buyers who visit your home or show interest in winter, are seriously motivated. Fewer properties on the market in the cooler months generate competition unique to this seasonal time frame, meaning that while the quantity of interest may be lower, the quality of that interest and its competition can be uniquely higher.
Focus on presenting your home for the season at hand, mercury rising or not. Your home could be marketed to buyers as a winter wonderland dream. Get them in the door and warm them up! Craft and curate that image so your buyers can visualise themselves by the fireplace with the evening lighting coming through the windows. The addition of colourful plants can do the heavy lifting to counteract that winter grey factor and extend your home’s context to spring and summer.
Extra details to keep in mind include setting aside time to attend to your garden and outdoor living areas that are a little lonely during that time of year, and scheduling slightly unconventional open-home times to benefit from the best lighting your home gets.
Even if you have a long-term plan to sell and move, opening the doors in winter is a good idea for the diligent seller. Appraisals and enquiries may turn up surprising results for you. With winter I always encourage flexibility when it comes to your pricing strategy and marketing plan. Your home could be the thing that buyers are willing to brave ice and snow to get a look at. The right reason can make the right time and then good things will fall into place. So go out in the rain!
Harcourts Grenadier Real Estate agent Keith MacDonald and his team measure their success in terms of client satisfaction. As a Harcourts agent, Keith’s sellers aren’t just getting an experienced team with a proven track record, they are gaining access to Harcourts’ huge market share and the advantage of Harcourts being real estate’s most trusted brand, working for them.
Keith MacDonald, 0274 964 799. (Licensed Agent REAA 2008)
