The holiday season, which is basically November through January, is generally considered one the worst times to try to sell your house in Chicago. It’s not as bad as many people would have you believe, though, especially when you have a good real estate agent in your corner. During the holiday season, there may be fewer buyers, but they will be motivated buyers, and the competition will be less. But you do have to get some things right. Take a look at these tips on how to sell your house during the holidays in Chicago. And then if you still have questions, consult a real estate professional at 773.233.2301.
Stage It Well
To sell your house during the holidays, you will need to make sure you stage it well, for buyers have a lot of obligations and activities pulling them in many different directions at this time of year. Here are the main points to keep in mind:
- Enhance your home’s style. Staging should enhance and complement the architectural style rather than detracting from it or clashing with it.
- Accentuate the most attractive features. Make sure your staging draws attention to the positive features of your home, for example, high ceilings or a beautiful fireplace.
- Complement the color scheme. The color accents you use should complement the new neutral color scheme that you’ve just achieved with repainting.
- Let a lot of light in. With shorter days and overcast skies during the holiday season, you’ll need to take down the heavy drapes, remove the blinds, and add artificial lighting.
Take Care of Curb Appeal
First impressions are immensely important, and the curb appeal is what creates the first impression when buyers pull up to your home. Just when the holiday season rolls around, leaves fall, and yards begin to look ragged. So if you really do want to sell your house at this time, you’ll need to do some cleanup and at least minor landscaping. Also, be sure to touch up any exterior paint that needs it, repair sagging fences, and lay down new mulch in beds.
Find Those Motivated Buyers
While you’ll find more motivated buyers during the holiday season, you will still need to seek them out and target them in your marketing efforts. A good tactic here is to work closely with your agent to find buyers on a tight deadline – for example, those who have just relocated for job reasons, college students looking for off-campus housing, and investors trying to beat tax deadlines.
Price to Sell
To sell your house at this time of year, you simply must price to sell. But that doesn’t necessarily mean pricing low. It means, rather, pricing strategically.
For example, when your agent calculates the market value of your house and determines that it falls within the $120,000 to $150,000 price range, then you know where to price it. Generally, it’s better to balance the price between the bottom and your realistic ceiling. That way you will entice buyers while still getting what your house is worth.
Create a Virtual Tour
Today, if you want to sell your house quickly and at a good price, you simply cannot neglect online marketing. And one highly effective component of an online marketing campaign is a virtual tour. Busy buyers are coming to depend more and more on virtual tours when shopping for new homes – especially when the weather turns bad.
Hire a Good Real Estate Agent To Sell Your House
You can definitely sell your house during the holidays in Chicago, but there some critical ingredients in the recipe. And one of those key ingredients is a qualified agent who will be there with you every step of the way. Not only will an agent help you sell your home, but will also free up more of your time for enjoying the holiday season.