Winter Curb Appeal

We can't always time the need or desire to sell our home with the seasons. If we could, most homes would probably go on the market during the Spring when everything outdoors is looking fresh and renewed. But sometimes we need to put our home on the market during the "off season" when the yard and the surroundings have turned drab and grey - or maybe everything is even covered with snow.

A suggestion I make to anyone who will listen is that they maintain files of recent photos of their yards during their peak seasons. This has been made easier and less expensive with digital cameras.

Then if you find need to list your house during the "grey" months you can print several of your pictures when your property is its prettiest and have them laying out for open houses and showings. One approach that I really liked and have suggested to my clients was used by a neighbor with a pool. They put their house on the market in the early winter and we found ourselves covered with snow. They produced a CD/DVD slide show of their yard and pool area from pictures taken during the summer. If they had a showing or an open house they put the slide show on their big screen TV and let it continuously replay.

This way prospective buyers can get some sense of how the property will look once the "grey" goes away.