Open home in winter? Here’s how to enhance your property

Last week we looked at how to focus on making your garden presentable, even during the unpleasant winter months. This weekend, it’s time to focus on the inside of your home.

While the same rules always apply for open homes, there are extra things you can be doing to make viewing your property that little bit more pleasant for prospective purchasers.

If you missed it - here are our tips for presenting your garden at an open home in the winter months.

Here are some of our tips. Be sure to share yours in the comments below.

Heat it up

You know that great feeling you have when you walk into a warm home, or a shop, from outside in the wind and the cold? Take advantage of it.

It sounds simple, but we can’t tell you how many freezing cold open homes Property Observer has attended recently – and how off-putting it can be.

Don’t let a buyer spend more of their time focusing on their numb hands than on your beautiful property. Crank that heater up – although ensure it’s not too hot, that can be just as bad – and let them view the place in comfort.

Make sure you open the vents in all the rooms, so they don’t open a door and suddenly feel the cold air. You’ll want to put the heater on a good half an hour before the buyers show up.

Alternatively, if you have a specific feature in a modern fire (such as those that do not require stoking), then you may consider turning this on. Wood fires can be beautiful, but in busy open homes they can be dangerous, hard to temperature regulate, smoky and a downright flop when not attended to with care – we recommend steering clear.

If you have heated towel racks, heated tiles or other similar features to show off – be sure you turn them on.

Light it up

Never is it more important than at a winter open home to light up your property, and allow viewers to briefly forget that it’s winter. Soft, warm lighting can work wonders – have them on in every room (and don’t forget your outdoor lighting too), and consider some lamps and other lighting for darker areas.

High wattage bulbs should also be a consideration – and make sure you’ve thoroughly cleaned those windows for maximum light.

Consider your window furnishings carefully

Speaking of light, don’t keep your blinds shut or your curtains, so that you can let light both into the house and out of it – when viewers pull up, it’s nice for them to be able to see the warm light of the house.

However, if a window looks out onto something unsightly – don’t be afraid to shut the curtain. Even better, consider sheer curtains for those windows you’d rather keep covered. These are especially good in the rain – keeping the buyer’s attention on the inside of the house, and keeping the light coming in and out.

Provide a shoe rack

You need to consider the dirt and rain coming off of peoples’ feet from outside to inside. While we previously covered including a door mat for the outside (and you should consider an indoor mat as well), you will also want to provide a shoe rack and potentially an umbrella and coat stand.

Do not risk having your hard work undone by those bringing the outside in – and they’ll be thankful they don’t have to carry their dripping outerwear around with them too (or leave their shoes on your porch).

Put down a rug

If you have tiles in your property, and particularly if you’re asking people to take off their shoes, then it makes sense to put tasteful rugs down through the more travelled areas. While tiles are often looked upon favourably, you want the home to appear as warm and inviting as possible.  

Make some warm refreshments

This is up for debate, but an increasingly common offering is to use warm refreshments to heat up your buyers. Consider a couple of pots of tea or coffee, or some other heated beverage, and some biscuits. Put this either in the kitchen, if it’s a feature, or on a well-set up table, and ensure that it’s where information about the property is provided – such as the brochure and agent’s business cards. This is likely to become more of a gathering point, so bear in mind that it will be more heavily trafficked. Avoid messy foods where possible, and be sure that you leave a note about allergens with the agent just in case.

Additional considerations

Finally, consider bringing something from other seasons into your home. Fresh flowers or bright indoor plants, for instance, can really light up a place that is suffering from the aches and pains of the cold.

You may also want to consider sealing up any drafts that you notice around the home. You may also want to consider ‘warmer’ accented colours for extra furnishings, and ‘warmer’ scents – for instance, cinnamon or similar as an air freshener is more welcome than ‘fresh linen’ in the winter months.

What tips do you have for sellers at winter open homes?

Next week, we'll look at timing your open home during the winter.

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