You don’t have to be a home inspector to know that winters are hard on houses. Snow, ice, slush, and cold temperatures can all cause problems with your home, and when it comes to reselling, these issues can make it harder to find prospective buyers and sell the house for a fair price.
Let’s talk about some of the ways you can improve your home so that it sells quicker (and for more money), even if you live in a place that experiences harsh winters. These five tips will have your home looking sale-ready by springtime!
1. Seriously Examine the State of Your Roof
Any contractor or roof inspector will advise checking your roof after a bad winter. Loose shingles, damaged tiles, or detached flashing are signs of serious damage. Additionally, if you spot any cracks, there’s a serious need for repairs.
Unfortunately, water can work its way into the cracks of your roof – where it then freezes. As it freezes, it expands, leading to loose shingles and cracks that require quick attention.
According to many realtors, when buying a house, picking a building with a damaged roof is a big no-no. The need to replace the room soon after moving in drives many people away, so if your roof is noticeably damaged after all the snow and ice, you’ll likely struggle to find a good buyer.
2. Give Your Porch or Deck a Facelift
According to Home Light, the term “curb appeal” encompasses all of the external factors that shape a buyer’s first impression of the property, the moment they see it from the street. That includes your porch and/or deck, even when the weather isn’t great outside.
When a person visits a house they’re considering buying, they want to be able to envision themselves living life there – cooking outside, watching the children play in the backyard, hosting guests, etc. If your current porch or deck is sad in appearance, it’s difficult for shoppers to envision those dreams.
Everything from your porch’s paint to your patio’s furniture can be tarnished by a harsh winter. Take a look outside to see what you can do to dress up your curb appeal and help visitors envision enjoying life in your house someday.
3. Bring in Some Green Plant Accents
When you’re trying to sell your home after a harsh winter, you’ll likely be dealing with fairly uncooperative conditions outside. Your trees are dead, your landscaping hasn’t come back to life yet, and the air is still brisk when potential buyers are visiting.
To make things feel a little livelier inside, try situating some house plants here and there. The splash of green will help outweigh any remaining traces of the dreary winter.
WebMD states that some house plants can brighten up surroundings while also lifting visitors’ moods and giving many people a pick-me-up. If you are looking for a way to make people feel instantly at home in your house, pick up some potted plants and flowers for a spring touch.
4. Remedy Any Ugly Water Stains
Whether it’s frost thawing in the attic or condensation from your various winter heating devices, moisture stains are a big problem in many homes that experience cold weather. Additionally, winter conditions can cause pipes to freeze and burst, leading to further problems with moisture and flooding.
In a recent study, it was found that 74 percent of millennials prefer new homes because they don’t want to renovate or think about bad plumbing problems. If it’s immediately clear to home shoppers that your house has leaky pipes or mildew, a large percentage of your potential buyers will look for another home.
Refer to a comprehensive plumbing guide to learn all the warning signs of a system that needs attention. You might not notice mold, stains, or moisture in your home where you’re used to everything, but you can bet that shrewd-eyed buyers and realtors will.
5. Take a Look at Your Driveway
If your driveway already has some cracks (like most do), a bad winter can take those small cracks and turn them into huge eyesores and bumps. Not only is this unsafe, but it also makes a really bad first impression on buyers touring your home.
Fortunately, cracks in driveways are relatively easy to address with seal liquid. You can also contact an asphalt business to pour a patch over the worst areas.
Remember: curb appeal is important, so if your driveway looks damaged and unkempt, the rest of your house will, too.
In Conclusion
Selling a home after a bad winter season is difficult, but certainly not impossible. By following the above tips, you can take your home from gloomy and sad to shiny and welcoming. Just a little bit of TLC after snow and cold temps can take your home selling experience to the next level.
Author
Amy McConaghy is Reliance Home Comfort’s Digital Marketing Specialist, managing the editorial, video and visual content creation for all digital platforms. Amy’s writing is focused on bringing home improvement, energy and money saving tips to the homeowners and answering questions about all their home comfort needs. You can find Amy on LinkedIn.
