Five Reasons To Sell Your Central Oregon Home in the Winter

Here are five reasons to sell your Central Oregon home in the winter, and why selling your home in the cold weather season may be the right choice for you. Sure, spring and summer are the most popular times to buy and sell a home in Central Oregon, but that’s not to say that winter should be overlooked.

#1 Low Home Market Inventory in Winter Months

As anyone selling a home in Central Oregon knows, low market inventory can be advantageous to the seller. With fewer homes on the market, you’re not competing with other properties for the same pool of buyers. Or, as the saying goes: you’re a big fish in a small pond. Fishy metaphors aside, as the seller, it’s a good thing. It increases competition between buyers for your home, likely resulting in higher offers and better conditions.

#2 Serious Buyers Only

If a buyer is driving around in inclement weather, or trudging through snow to see your home, they’re serious. You probably won’t get the luke-warm the buyers who are “just looking” or the ones who “want to buy…someday.”

Instead, your home is shown to motivated, pre-approved buyers who know both what they want and what they can afford. Bottom line: showings like these are more likely to turn into serious offers.

#3 Sell Your Home Quickly in Winter

Home sales do tend to move quickly in Central Oregon in general, but when selling a home in the winter loans and other paperwork may be processed more quickly. Why? Simple. Because the number of homes being sold is smaller during the winter months — it’s roughly half in Central Oregon — home lenders can be less busy. We’ve also seen substantial appraisal delays during peak seasons, so it makes sense that during the cold weather months, these requirements will move along quicker. Meaning, that the plethora of paperwork that goes into financing and purchasing a home can move faster through the contract period than it might in busy months, for a faster overall closing date.

#4 Show off Your Winter Home Assets

Yes, some may argue that there is less home appeal in the darker, winter months. To that we say: that’s only myth! It’s true that winter isn’t summer, just as apples will never be oranges, however, there are plenty of ways to beautifully stage your home, create curb appeal, and show off your home’s best features in colder months. Look for inspiration from Scandinavian countries, they have long, cold winters but report an abundance of job, and it shows in their home design choices. Check out this article on Hygge design to learn more.

Here are a few hygge-centric staging tips to keep in mind when you’re selling a home in the winter.

• Do you have a fireplace? In the name of all things cozy, get that fire burning.
  Light it up! Can you add external lights to showcase the exterior of the home when prospective buyers view your home during the dark evening hours?
• Ho-ho-home: do you still have your holiday decor up in February…well, we hate to break it to you but, it was time to take that down, yesterday. Keep your home feeling fresh with current seasonal design nods.
• Do you have a great entryway with a place to put wet shoes and coats? Showcase it. It’s easy to overlook these small, functional spaces that make the winter time experience of a home that much better

#5 Home Durability Check

For the practical-minded buyer, purchasing a home in the winter lets them witness your home’s exterior durability in arguably the toughest season for homes. They want to see first-hand how much snow they’ll need to be shoveling next January, and how your home handles the harsh winter elements.

Did you just get the roof replaced? Do you have double-pane windows, or other features, that will make your home more energy efficient in the winter? Gold star, they’ll love that!

Winter Wonderland

Now you’ve heard our five main reasons to sell your home for sale in the winter. If you’re considering selling your home, and thought you needed to “wait until spring,” perhaps you are rethinking that decision. Our team at Bend Relo is ready to make your home shine, anytime. Contact us today to get a free home estimate and find out what your home is worth.