8 Ways to Increase Your Home’s Curb Appeal During Winter

8 Ways to Increase Your Home's Curb Appeal During Winter

During the process of selling your home, you can never know with certainty when your home will actually be sold. While some homes might receive multiple offers the very day they are put on the market, others might end up sitting on the market for multiple months on end.

Generally, the winter is one of the most difficult times of the year to sell your home at the price you probably want to. Now, selling during the winter is by no means impossible—the “dip” from the peak summer season is still only about 30 percent. But you will need to be proactive about making your home as marketable as possible.

Hopefully, you already have some pictures of your home in the summertime so your prospective buyers can see the yard’s full potential. Nevertheless, there are still quite a few things you can do to increase your home’s curb appeal during winter.

1. Clear All Dead Plants and Leaves

he people who are viewing your home are likely envisioning themselves living there in the future. That means it’s probably time to get rid of the things that, well, are no longer living. Taking some time to remove all leaves, dead plants, and other unwanted organic materials from your yard will help make it much more appealing.

2. Add Some Living Outdoor Plants

In addition to removing the dead plants, you might also want to consider bringing in some living ones. Even just a single plant that is kept near your entryway can help make a major difference in how your home is perceived by potential buyers. Some of the best plants for the winter include a holly bush, miniature Japanese maple, winter jasmine, and native serviceberry. The arrangement of plants that will make the most sense for you will depend on your particular climate.

3. Don’t Skimp on the Shoveling

We’ve all been there. There was an overnight snowstorm leaving six inches of snow on the ground and, wanting to avoid the cold, it is very tempting to carve out a single path to your mailbox and shovel nothing else. However, if you are in the process of selling your home, you are going to want to highlight all of the features that make your home livable. Unfortunately, that means you’ll need to shovel your entire driveway, sidewalk, walking paths, deck, patio, and other surfaces people will likely be walking on.

4. Install a Colorful Feature

The winter months are often characterized by relatively drab color schemes, consisting mostly of grays and browns. This can be very off-putting to prospective homebuyers who, once again, are hoping to see some sort of life in the home they are considering buying. Whether you install a work of outdoor art, paint your door, or find some other way to add some color to your front exterior, a little bit of color can go a long way.

5. Use More Lighting

Increased lighting is another way to make your home more visually appealing and noticeably less “drab.” This is especially true if you are having showings in the evening, given that (in the Northern Hemisphere) the sun sets incredibly early. Facade lights are a great way to showcase the most architecturally prominent features of your home. You might also consider installing a lantern to help round out the winter aesthetic.

6. String Lights Can Be a Year-Round Feature

String lights are, without a doubt, typically associated with Christmas. However, even once the big day has passed, string lights are still a great way to add some character to your home and excite the people who are potentially viewing it. With the right selection of string lights, you can easily keep them up all winter, and—thanks to LED technology—keeping these lights running is likely much more affordable than you’d initially assume.

7. Change Your Mailbox

There are only so many things you can change about the front exterior of your home. But one of the features that many home sellers tend to forget about is their mailbox. The mailbox will often be the first physical feature that people see at your home and it is certainly not a feature that you should willingly skimp out on. Changing up your mailbox—whether it is installing a more artistic structure or structurally reinforcing it—can change how your entire home is perceived by potential buyers.

8. Add a Fresh Coat of Paint

On average, it is a good idea to repaint the exterior of your home about once every 5 to 10 years. A new coat of paint will make your home look newer and more visually appealing. However, if you are in the process of selling—and have been having a hard time—now might be the optimal time for a fresh coat of paint. On average, it only costs about $0.50 to repaint a square foot of home exterior.

While selling your home in the winter will be challenging, it’s certainly not impossible. With these helpful tips in mind, you can considerably increase your home’s curb appeal and reduce the number of days it ends up spending on the market.

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