Snowy and icy weather may be worrisome to anyone who is trying to sell their home this winter. When you’re left wondering what you can do to keep your listed home looking pristine while the snow comes toppling down. Here are a few tips to help keep prospective buyers warm, while they fall in love with your home this winter:

Shovel. Spread Salt. Repeat. One of the best ways to help prospective buyers forget about wretched winter weather, so that they focus on your home, is simply to remove it. When your home is on the market during winter, it is important that you keep your driveway, sidewalks and any other walkways around your home snow-and-ice-free. This also includes keeping your gutters clean, so that no ice dams form. You never know when you may have a showing, so your snow removal and prevention routine needs to be around-the-clock while your home is listed and all throughout the closing process!

Keep the Weather Outside. Though you may remove every bit of visible snow from your walkways, shoes are bound to track a little snow, water or salt inside. While your home is on the market during winter, you may need to spot-clean your floors on a regular basis to remove any signs of winter that may get tracked inside. You can avoid salty, wet floors while buyers are browsing through your home by asking them to remove their shoes or providing prospective buyers with slippers or shoe covers to wear while touring. Don’t worry about offending them; buyers will appreciate the cleanliness!

Crank up that Heat. Once prospective buyers step into your home, winter’s cold should be the last thing on their minds. They’re there to envision themselves living in your home, so make sure it is WARM and inviting by keeping the thermostat at around 70 degrees. You also can help to set the ambiance for prospective buyers by keeping your home well-lit, lighting the fireplace and strategically placing a few oversized throws on the furniture. Do whatever you can to encourage buyers to think warm thoughts while inside your home this winter.

Highlight Your Rooms. Whether it’s a finished basement that you’ve turned into a den, a game room or a child’s playroom that can be used to ward off cabin fever during winter, make sure you and your real estate agent are highlighting every winter-friendly aspect of your home. When the weather outside is frightful, make sure prospective buyers know every delightful thing they’ve got to keep them entertained indoors!

Showcase Outdoor Havens. Although the last thing many of us want to think about when it’s blustery and cold is spending more time outside, home features like a screened-in porch or outdoor fire pit may actually entice buyers. Even if you don’t regularly use those spaces, when your home is on the market, you’ll want to make it look like they’re some of the coziest spots of your home!

Show Buyers Some Summer Lovin. While you’re not physically able to change Mother Nature’s direction, you can offer prospective buyers a glimpse of what your home looks like when the grass is a little greener. Offer photos of your home during a warmer season, so they can see your perfectly-pruned landscaping and envision their very own back-yard barbeque – even through the snow and ice!

Give Buyers Some Sugar. If all else fails when it comes to beating winter weather while your home is on the market, sweeten up your buyers by offering them a snack! It sounds so simple, but a delicious plate of cookies or brownies coupled with a warm beverage like spiced apple cider or even a cup of tea or coffee could go a long way in bringing on those warm thoughts about your home.

AskHomesale.com provides real estate advice and information for home buyers, home sellers, and homeowners alike. Askhomesale.com is part of the Homesale Realty Family. The Homesale Family of Companies is the leading real estate company serving the Baltimore, Maryland, South Central and Southeastern PA real estate markets.  Homesale Realty has more than 27 offices with over 1,200 REALTORS®. Homesale Realty’s footprint includes Maryland real estate offices in Baltimore Metro, Federal Hill,  Harbor East, Phoenix, Timonium, and Westminster. Pennsylvania real estate offices include Lancaster,Ephrata, Elizabethtown, Mt Joy, Quarryville, Camp Hill, Carlisle, Chambersburg, Harrisburg, Hershey, Lebanon,Schuylkill Haven, Wyomissing, York, Dallastown, Gettysburg, Hanover, and Shrewsbury.

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