Winter Real Estate It's Not As Cold As It Looks

Not everyone out there is watching the amazing run Tim Tebow is having some people are looking for houses.  The fall home-selling season is a lot like the college football season — both normally end around Thanksgiving, but a smaller postseason keeps going long after that.  It used to be that spring and summer were the hot times to buy or sell houses, but people are much more mobile now. If you want to sell your house these days, you don't necessarily have to wait until spring to put it on the market.  True, most would-be homebuyers and sellers in colder climates still call it quits from late November until late February or so.

• But how can a would-be seller attract a buyer when there's ice on a home's walkway, snow covering the flower beds and little natural light to make a place look bright?  Here are five things homeowners must do if they want to heat up the chances of selling a property this winter:

1. Set a realistic price
House hunters expect discount prices in the winter, because they know that any homeowner who lists a property during the period really needs to sell. So sellers should list their homes at realistic prices to begin with.  We've been in a buyers market for so long now in most of the country that buyers are trained to lowball.
2. Advertise with snow-free pictures
If possible, you or your agent should try taking photos before it snows. If that's not feasible, take photos the first time the snow melts — even if it's just a brief winter thaw.
3. Maximize curb appeal
You always want your home to have good "curb appeal" — a nice appearance that's apparent from the moment a would-be buyer pulls up to the curb — but winter snow and gloom make that tough. To make the most of your home's wintertime look make sure all autumn leaves and any dead tree branches are gone. Keep your home's driveway and paths free of snow and ice and put a nice, clean doormat in front.
4. 'Stage' the interior for winter
A good real-estate agent or professional home stager can help you make your home's interior look warm and friendly no matter how dreary it is outside. Baking cookies or an apple pie shortly before house hunters arrive. This will give your home an inviting smell when would-be buyers come in from the cold.
5. Have good interior lighting
You always want your home to look as bright as possible to potential buyers, but sparse winter sunlight can make that a real challenge. Maximize all available lighting by having your home's windows professionally cleaned — inside and out — before you put your place on the market. Don't forget the storm windows.  Also consider replacing 40-watt bulbs with 75- or 100-watt versions — and put all lights on before every showing.

Buyers and Sellers worst enemy...themselves

One challenge facing prospective homebuyers is the difficulty of finding a house in a good neighborhood in good condition.  Prices continue to decline, but so does the number of homes for sale.
 New research gives us one reason why: Buyers may think it's a good time to buy, but sellers don't think it's a good time to sell.  A recent study I was just reading about found that nearly 80% of Americans think it's a good time to buy, but only 7.6% think it's a good time to sell.  The feelings of homebuyers are the same as in previous recessions, but the sentiments of sellers are different this time.
      Nearly two-thirds of those who expressed negative selling sentiment listed "difficulty of finding a buyer" as the reason. What this mean is the difficulty of finding a buyer at the price they want.

• Buyers' and sellers' worst enemy? Themselves
   
  Real-estate agents have to educate sellers on what price their home is really likely to fetch now. If sellers really want to sell, they adjust their expectations to the changed realities.

• See what's for sale in your neighborhood

If the sellers won't face reality, the agents sometimes decline the listing rather than waste time marketing a home that won't sell at the desired price.

Some agents are writing price-reduction clauses into contracts with sellers, which authorize automatic price reductions if no action occurs in the first few weeks.

Are sellers refusing to face reality? Or are they smart to keep their homes off the market now?