Five Festive Ways to Boost Curb Appeal in Winter

Are you thinking beyond the holiday rush and wondering how to appeal to that dedicated stream of wintertime home buyers? Think warm, shine a light against the long and rainy Portland nights, and your home will sell itself (with a little help from your real estate agent). Here are five things you can do yourself to stage your home right this time of year.

1. Install weather stripping and seal gaps and cracks. Nothing chills a hot buyer like a cold draft sweeping through your house, but they love it when the front door shuts solidly and tightly against a well fitted strip of insulating foam. A trip the hardware store and a few dollars’ investment is worth that feeling of comfort and escape from winter blasts.
2. Place a few solar lights. Available at home improvement stores for less than $5, solar lights come in many forms, from the traditional yard-stake style to strands you can hang like christmas lights. They look nice in the daytime, too! Because buyers might be touring after work, in the twilight or evening hours, these light up accents can show off your yard and entry way, or even illuminate special architectural features. The best part is, you can take them with you when you move.
3. Keep a snow shovel handy. You know there are those one or two winter storms that take us by surprise every year here in Portland with a big load of snow. What if it’s the day your home is scheduled to be viewed by some very interested buyers? Don’t let an icy sidewalk cool them down – have the equipment ready to scoop, shovel or blow that snow out of the way before you set foot in it.
4. Don’t forget about outdoors spaces. We know days are short, but your yard needs to shine even – especially, really – in the dormant months. If you don’t have time, hire an arborist to prune the trees, or the neighborhood kid to rake up leaves and pull weeds you missed in the fall. Now is a great time to mulch and show off perennials.
It’s all about giving buyers an idea of the indoor-outdoor lifestyle your home affords year-round. Uncover the grill before showings so that they can picture themselves relaxing on the deck six months from now!
5. Feed the birds. “Put a bird on it” is not just indoor decorating advice for Portland. We have a variety of avian life here in Portland, and they’ll happily flutter around your home’s great windows with the placement of a few well stocked feeders.

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