Boston Condos for Sale and Rent

Selling a Boston Beacon Hill condo in the Winter. Here are some 2022 Tips

There aren’t as many people out Boston condos for sale hunting on bitterly cold winter days but those who are out are ready to buy today.

Here are some winter tips for Beacon Hill home sellers:

1.  Leave some lights on so we can open the lockbox and unlock the door.

2.  Remove the snow and ice from the walkway.  Clearing the sidewalk outside of your Boston condo makes it less likely that someone seeing your home will fall on their butt and sue yours off.

3.  Place a walk-off mat near the front door of your Boston Beacon Hill condo building that is big enough for four pairs of shoes.  This small act of kindness will keep my feet dry because I won’t end up standing in a puddle made by my clients and it will keep your floor dry and your home cleaner.

4.  If your condominium is vacant please have it winterized, that means that you have the water turned off.

5.  Turn all Lights in your Boston condo for sale is a good thing, especially in the winter.  You want to make it look warm and inviting.   If you normally live like cave people with every blind drawn and every shade pulled consider making some changes so that your home will sell quicker and so you will get more money for it.

6.  If your home is occupied and you have a bunch of burglar alarms and maybe some barbed wire and a guard dog consider easing up on the red alert status.  (this has nothing to do with the weather . . I was on a roll)

Boston Condos for Sale and Rent

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Here are some tips for Beacon HIll home buyers:

1.  Wear shoes or boots that are easy to slip on and off.

2.  Go to the restroom before you begin house hunting.  Homes that are winterized have no running water.

3.  If you are interested in a home that you saw in the dark please schedule an appointment to see it when it is light out before you make an offer.

4.  Most agents carry a flashlight but it is a great idea to bring your own.

With the Omicron virus surge expect to be asked to wear a mask when touring homes for sale

Winter is a notoriously difficult time to show a Boston Beacon Hill condo for sale. It gets dark early, the cold weather is daunting, and unoccupied can homes can be un-welcomingly. For a number of reasons, winter is not the best time of the year to sell a home in Beacon Hill. However, sometimes home owners have to move and cannot pick when, or would prefer to sell as soon as possible regardless of market conditions.

There are still buyers and Boston real estate agents out there looking at hundreds of homes in downtown Boston every day! Winter is an easy time for your home to outshine the competition by offering buyers just what they want — a coziness, warmth and a bright spot in the grey. Read on to discover my top real estate agent tips for improving your Beacon Hill condo curb appeal in winter. Each one is affordable and can be accomplished in less than a day!

1. First things first – The hallway entrance

It’s not crafty, but it can be fun, and it’s definitely DIY! Clean up your hallway entrance.. Your hallway entrance is the first thing that buyers see, so make sure its looking it’s best! As a real estate agent who has walked through hundreds if not thousands of homes, I promise you that it will be worth the effort.

2. Brighten up the night.

Most Beacon Hill home buyers are busy and often only have time to look at homes after work — in the dark! Unfortunately, in the depth of winter it can get dark in Beacon Hill a bit after 4pm! Not ideal for seller or buyer, but as the seller you can make the most of it. When home viewers roll up to check out the condominium, lure them in with lighting that clearly and safely marks the way to the front door. In addition, good landscape lighting can illuminate front entrance features and even the building exterior.

4. Utilize smart home devices to your advantage.

 Beacon Hill real estate agents often will not bother to switch on all the lights in your home when they show it — but you can! More and more homeowners are using smart technology to control lights, thermostats, garage doors and more remotely. You don’t need to replace all of your bulbs with smart ones, but a few strategically located ones can make the difference between pulling up to a darkened home and one that is cheerily lit. In addition, smart thermostats are one of the top technological investments home buyers are likely to make, and they can solve one of the major obstacles to showing a vacant home in the winter — staying warm. Tell your heating system to turn on an hour before the buyers show up, and they’re much more likely to want to stick around!

5. Focus on the front door.

Finally, cleaning is done. For a homey touch, hang a wreath on the front door. They’re fun and easy to make; even easier to buy. Other nice front entry decorations for winter include topiaries, attractive house numbers, solar lanterns, and potted evergreen plants. Oh, and a special request from the showing agent – install a motion sensor light so that we can find the lockbox quickly and easily, getting buyers out of the cold and into your home!

Need more ideas? Not sure how to improve your home’s curb appeal? Contact your Beacon Hill real estate agent today!