Nicola Kelland - Winter Open homes

Are you selling your home this winter? So how do you get your house and garden looking fabulous? The cold dreary days can certainly take the sparkle off even the most fabulous homes, but with a little preparation your home could really shine.

Warmth
A warm cosy house is crucial and will be the first thing that potential purchasers will remark on as they enter the front door. So keep the heating on or light the fires before open homes, purchasers will feel relaxed and they will not want to leave.

Colour
It can be very grey outside during the winter months, so add some colour. This could be in the form of bright cushions for your bed or couch, a warm coloured throw over a chair, or a rug for the floor. You could brighten up the bathroom with some coloured towels, or the walls with some prints or paintings.

Smell
There is nothing nicer than walking into a house that smells divine. Use scented candles or a beautiful room spray, but don’t overdo it as they can be overbearing. Fresh flowers are a lovely way of adding colour and fragrance, or use potted plants thet add life and freshness and are economical. The smell of fresh baking has been a tried and true way to add some soul to a home, just make sure the oven is off before the open home starts. Burn’t baking is not so appealing.

Clean
In winter buyers will spend more time inside your home than outside, so make sure that you have the house beautifully clean. Winter is an obvious time for mould to grow with the increase in internal condensation, so make sure that you have treated those areas. Pest control is important, even the best suburbs have rodents and cockroaches, so make sure your home is treated a few weeks before going to the market. Nothing worse than a mouse or worse a rat deciding to come out to play during an open home.

Outside
Paths, decks and driveways tend to get very green and slippery during the winter months so give them a good water blast or specialist treatment. Check your roof and cladding as it can also be affected by lichen and mould. Plant some colour, create some fabulous pots with warm coloured plants and flowers, they really brighten up the garden. Plant some winter vegatables or herbs in pots or in the garden, there is something about seeing vegetables growing that delights prospective purchasers.