You never get a second chance to make a first impression. This is why we emphasize the importance of curb appeal when you are selling your home. Every season has different qualities that a seller can use to their advantage. Improving your home’s curb appeal in the winter can be much easier when it snows (if you have prepared for the snow).
Preparation is key. Rake the leaves, prune your trees and hedges, paint the front door, and remove the clutter from your porch and yard. This is a great start. Your home will already be looking better. When the snow falls, you will be ready. Snow makes everything glow brighter and look prettier. It’s simple.
Let it Snow: Use the majesty of a winter storm to your advantage. Snow removal is imperative for the safety of those visiting your home. The driveway needs to be shoveled or plowed in a timely manner, as do the walkways.
When shoveling the walkways do so with greater care. Create an inviting entry into your home by carefully shoveling the pathways around your home. Move the removed snow to an inconspicuous corner of your yard, rather than along the sides of the walkway. You will create the illusion of a perfectly manicured winter wonderland leading directly to your home.
Outdoor Lighting: Ensure all the lightbulbs in exterior fixtures are bright. Replace burnt-out bulbs and bulbs that are no longer brightly shining. Consider updating existing outdoor fixtures, particularly if they are old or outdated. Low voltage landscape lights will add a nice touch to the walkways to your front door, and illuminate the path you carefully created after a winter snowfall.
Front Door: Your front door should be freshly painted in an appropriate color. Hardware should be clean and polished or updated. An elegant and understated wreath is the perfect adornment for your front door to create a welcoming entrance.
Less is More: Removing clutter in and around your home is not a seasonal decision. It should always be on the top of your list when you are staging your home. Removing lawn furniture, toys, garish inflatable holiday decorations, and landscape rubble should be done before it snows. The snow will temporarily make any item attractive, but only the essentials of your landscape design should be waiting. Properly pruned trees and hedges make for perfect canvases, as Mother Nature paints the white drapery of freshly fallen snow.
Winter Hardy Potted Plants: Many of your outdoor potted plants will need a warmer place to spend the winter. But there are plants that can remain outdoors and grace your front porch with a colorful touch of greenery, including dwarf evergreen trees and shrubs. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map ranges from 6a to 7b for the Greater Boston area. There are a number of evergreen plants appropriate for front porch containers: skyrocket juniper trees, dwarf Norway spruce trees, dwarf arborvitae trees, and variegated boxwood shrubs can all flourish when cared for correctly. Check with your local gardening centers for detailed information about care, and additional planting choices and inspiration.
Potting Tip: Terra cotta pots are not winter-hardy in New England. Terra cotta pots will absorb water and eventually crack during freezing and thawing cycles. Select stone or heavy plastic pots for your winter porch evergreens.
Working with a trusted seller’s agent from Barrett Sotheby’s International Realty is the perfect way to move forward with the staging, marketing, and selling of your home this winter. We look forward to helping you with all of your real estate needs. Contact us today!
