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2<br />
[Edition datE]<br />
17<br />
Should you sell<br />
your house in<br />
winter?<br />
Selling a property in winter may seem to go against received wisdom,<br />
but there are plenty of reasons why it can be a good idea.<br />
It’s hard to ignore powerful or compelling<br />
reasons like a change in your work, financial<br />
or family circumstances, or because the<br />
timing seems right. In addition, there are<br />
several other, more tangible upsides to<br />
selling in winter.<br />
Firstly, there are often fewer houses on<br />
the market so there’s less competition. Your<br />
property is less likely to be lost in a swarm<br />
of listings and it will be easy to make it stand<br />
out. People who are looking to buy at this<br />
time of year are usually highly motivated<br />
because they need a home sooner rather<br />
than later. The upside of this is that you may<br />
get fewer ‘tyre-kickers’ than in the warmer<br />
months – and increased demand will often<br />
result in higher prices.<br />
If you’re selling your property with a<br />
real estate agent, you need to mine their<br />
experience. When you’re choosing an agent,<br />
ask them how houses in your area sell over<br />
the colder months. It’s in their interests<br />
to make sure the sale of your property is<br />
as advantageous as possible; if they think<br />
you’ll be better off waiting a couple of<br />
months, they should tell you. They should<br />
also work with you to work out the best<br />
times to hold open homes or viewings,<br />
taking in account shorter sunlight hours.<br />
You want your property to look attractive,<br />
inviting and easy to look after – and there<br />
are plenty of practical steps you can take<br />
to make it seem an attractive proposition<br />
on a cold winter’s day. Now’s the time to<br />
fix any leaks, cracked windows or sticking<br />
doors or broken drains. All the usual rules<br />
for preparing a home for sale will apply -<br />
your buzzwords should be decluttering and<br />
deep-cleaning. If it has good insulation<br />
and an efficient heating system, make sure<br />
these factors are included in any marketing.<br />
Ensure the house is warm and dry during<br />
any viewings.<br />
Don’t forget that people will want to<br />
look around the outdoor areas too -<br />
sweep or waterblast paths, mulch garden<br />
beds and clear gutters. If your garden is<br />
picture-perfect in summer and spring,<br />
consider making some photos available so<br />
prospective buyers can see what they’ve got<br />
to look forward to. A few colourful plants in<br />
pots will also help brighten outdoor spaces<br />
and a new letterbox or freshly painted front<br />
fence or gate will do wonders for your<br />
property’s street appeal.<br />
Prepare well and there’s no reason why<br />
you can’t successfully sell your property<br />
before the weather warms up. Sell now and<br />
you’ll hopefully have lots of properties to<br />
choose from when you start scanning the<br />
market in spring.<br />
Kevin Lampen-Smith is the chief<br />
executive of the Real Estate Authority<br />
(REA), the independent government<br />
agency that regulates the New Zealand<br />
real estate industry. For more information<br />
about buying or selling property, check out<br />
settled.govt.nz.
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