10 Tips for Selling Your Morris & Union County NJ Home during the Holidays

1. Keep it warm:  To show a home to its best advantage during the winter, think warm, cozy, and homey. Keep your thermostat at 70 degrees during home showing hours. If your home is vacant, install a programmable thermostat and set it to have the home at 70 during the day.

2. No snow or ice on the walks:  Only very serious home buyers are out during winter. If the buyer cannot get to the home easily, the house will not sell. That means keeping your walkways and driveways free of winter’s worst. Just like keeping your lawn nice in the summer, you want to make your home look well maintained.  This is also important for keeping the risk of having a home buyer injured down.   

3. Take full advantage of natural light: Be sure to allow all showing during the high-daylight hours. Make the most of the light you do have. Have the curtains and blinds cleaned and open them as wide as possible during daytime showings. Clean all the lamps and built-in fixtures, and replace the bulbs with the highest intensity that they will safely accommodate. Before you show the house, turn on all the lights.  

4. Get your homes windows washed: You have 90 seconds to get a buyers attention when they walk into your home. Windows are one thing that many sellers do not even consider. Many buyers pay particular attention to the quality of your homes windows.  In the winter, the strong southern light can reveal grime and make it look like your home has not been well maintained. 

5. Play music softly in the background: To create a little atmosphere, tune the radio to the local Classical or Holiday station. Turn it down so that you just hear it quietly in the background. You have to appeal to all the buyer's senses. 

6. Make the home comfortable and cozy: Set the scene and help the buyers see themselves living happily and comfortably in your home. Consider things such as putting a warm throw on the sofa or folding back the thick comforter on the bed. Spending an hour or two with a home staging professional many times is a worthwhile investment. They are specially trained to help catch the buyer's eye! Call for a list of home staging professionals. 

7. Set up lighting timers: You want your home to look warm and welcoming whenever prospective buyers drive past. You could even decorate the For Sale sign in your yard. Set the mood for a sale. 

8. Make your home festive for the holidays. Even if you are not going to be present, greet your buyers as if they were going to be guests at a party. Set the dinner table with the good china and silver. Have a plate of cookies for your guests, some warm cider, or other non- alcoholic beverage helps to make the buyer more comfortable in their new home. Remember, first impressions are so powerful. If it looks like you're expecting me and greeting me as company, don't you think that would have a powerful impact?

9. Give your home a nice aroma. Chocolate Chip cookies or Fresh baked Apple pie; just about, everybody likes those smells. Other popular scents: cinnamon rolls, freshly baked bread, apple cider or anything with vanilla, and cinnamon

10. Use the holiday season to your advantage. Thanksgiving, through January are traditional holiday seasons for most families. Now is the time to show off your home's best features with simple decorations in each room. Don't forget to decorate around your front door. When the holidays are over (and the Christmas and Hanukkah stuff should come down), you can still use winter wreaths and dried arrangements around the door to give interest. Anything seasonally appropriate but not too elaborate, you want the buyer's to purchase your home, not your crafts.

If you would like to do a little market research on Chatham NJ Real Estate, and all of the surrounding towns, I have a nice MLS tool for you to use for free.  Please use it as much as you like.

James Boyer

Realtor Associate

RE/MAX Properties Unlimited

One Madison Ave

Morristown, NJ 07960

973-647-0253 (Direct)

973-539-6300 (Office)

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