The 7 Ingredient Hot Toddy For Winter Sales Success

Short days, dark nights, cold mornings, snow closed roads, but inviting mountain ski fields and plenty of excuses for a hot chocolate drink.  Yes, it’s definitely winter and yes, there are less home sales during the colder months, but there are also fewer properties available and plenty of homes do sell. So it's not all bad.

A great winter way to warm up, to celebrate success on the snowfields, or even cure that flu (don't we wish!) is a hot toddy - a drink mixture of spirits (whiskey or brandy), spices, sugar, all served warm and inviting.  You can do the same for cold weather home selling.  Here is our 7 ingredient mixture for your real estate hot toddy, a delicious elixir for winter selling success:

1. Compliment the season. Change your property description to highlight the warmth, comfort and family aspects of your home. We tend to hibernate somewhat in winter - emphasise how wonderful your home is for that.
2. Plan your viewings and open homes. The shadows are longer and the sunlight shorter. Choose a time for your open home that maximises light and warmth.
3. Keep on top of the presentation. The winter months will highlight any areas of moisture or mould. Open windows regularly and/or think about a moisture management system as a long term fix.  Attack mould as required and don’t forget outside paths, sneaky corners, or back walls.
4. Shine a bright marketing spotlight on your property. Stand out from the crowd with great photos, an awesome description and extra marketing.  The feature options from Trade Me and realestate.co.nz are inexpensive and greatly increase visibility.
5. Price competitively. Be in the market, not just “on the market” helping others get sold. There are fewer buyers to lose!
6. Be realistic (don’t you hate that!) Despite what newspaper headlines might imply not every house is selling in 3 days for 600% of the expected price. Rely on the sales process. Do the basics right and you will get sold.
7. Finally. Be positive - it’s August, the last month of winter (officially anyway). Next up Spring!

Give your sale process a Hot Toddy kick by tailoring its presentation and marketing to the winter season. It really doesn't matter what time of the year it is, homes still sell. The key is to make the presentation and marketing relevant to the buyers available. 

Hot Toddy via wikipedia commons By Clément Petit CC-BY-2.0