Winter isn’t typically when most people consider a popular time to sell a house, but with a few tricks you can make a house will sparkle this winter for potential buyers. Staging a house during the winter can be a bit different since you want your home to shine during a typically grey time of year and slower selling season. Along with all the well known open house preparations like cleaning and decluttering, staging to help embrace the season can give you an extra wow-factor to potential buyers.
Take notes from hygge (pronounced “hue-gah”) a lifestyle born from Northern European countries like Denmark, as a way of transforming your home into a cozy oasis that’s built for contentment. While not every part of the world has to endure the frigid winters of Scandinavia, surrounding yourself in comfort at home will always be in style. The decor that’s perfect for embracing hygge can also lead to a gorgeous, streamlined interior that’s ready for showings.
Lighting
Presenting potential buyers with a well-lit space is one of the basics of showing a house. Replace any burnt out bulbs and soften harsh overhead or built-in lights with smaller sources like floor lamps in corners. However, to create a cozy atmosphere think of adding in smaller touches like flameless candles in a tasteful display on mantels, end and coffee tables. For spaces with tons of natural light, try sheer curtains to cut down on glare from snow, strong sun or slushy views of outside. This keeps rooms full of natural light, but also calls attention to the cozy interior.
Layout
Clear paths to move in and a feeling of rooms being open is important, but the layout of furniture can also impact how buyers get a feel for the scale of your house. Sparse or very spread out rooms can feel cold and ironically in some instances make rooms look smaller.
Create smaller seating areas to create a more inviting and cozy ambiance. Staging furniture in living areas is important, to help buyers both get a sense of the room but be able to imagine their own choices in the house. For instances where you’ve already moved, might need a replacement or affordable additional seating, look for pieces you can also move to your new space. Pulling furniture away from the walls, orienting your sofa and positioning some chairs into conversational areas will make your rooms shine with a cozy ambiance that buyers can appreciate.
Accents
A few well-positioned decor accents will always be basics to staging any house, however in winter for hygge you want to lean into the cold weather. Instead of cotton or canvas, try accent pillows in knits or velvet, super soft microfleece throw blankets and woolen rugs in living areas. Sticking to a color story with similar shades like creams, off-white and dove grey can keep all your accents looking cohesive and not adding too many colors that might not appeal to everyone into your house.
Bring some green into the space with fresh flowers or a potted plant in specific spots that could use a little more life, like dining rooms and offices. Clutter is not what you’re aiming for, identify a few areas that could really shine with these accents and leave it at that!
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