Curb Appeal In The Winter

 Home staging and curb appeal are even more important in Calgary's cold winter months. Getting the details right, can greatly impact your properties appeal to potential buyers. Often times, the buyer will decide if they want to tour the home by how the curb appeal appears both physically and online. Almost 98% of people start their home search online and MLS maybe your only chance at at first impression.

 Clear the way! Shoveling the sidewalks, driveways and clearing a path to the front door welcomes potential buyers from the moment they drive up. This also shows the high standards the current owners keeps for the property. If shoveling is not for you, consider hiring a service to take care of it.

 Showcasing the front of your property is difficult, during the colder weather with brown lawns, leafless bare trees and a grey frosty background; here are a few tips to improve your curb in the coming season 

• Lawn maintenance -  create some appeal by raking  up all leaves and garbage that may have blown in to your yard. 
• Landscaping- clean up flower beds pulling up all dead and brown flowers, trim trees and shrubs.
• Hide what you need to keep - put summer items away like children's toys and garden hoses. 
• Slash of colour- keep holiday decor simple, try hanging a wreath on the door or get a festive planter, a little bit goes a long way! 
• New bling - a new mailbox, welcome mat, house numbers and handle are details that complete a polished look.
• Warm it up - Keep the furnace at a comfortable temperature, cold floors and chilly air  is a turn off especially in vacant properties . 
• Safety first- daylight hours are shorter in the winter and good lighting is important, most people tour after work and don’t want to go into a dark home. Replace any burnt out bulbs and increase lightening by adding solar lights or motion lighting, to light up pathways and driveways.

 It's not expensive to improve curb appeal in the winter, just a little thought and a few hours of hard work.