Chicago real estate, living and neighborhood perspective
snow on house

Winter Blues

snow on house Holidays are a wonderful time of year.  I myself enjoy the decorations, events and things that only come this time of year.  Things can become challenging when planning for the holidays, entertaining in-town guests and having your home on the market.

For many, temporarily removing the home from the market would address the need to keep the home orderly for showings, not get carried away with decorations and not worry about relocating in town guests at inconvenient times.

But with the current market is that the best choice?  Traditionally winter has seen slower market activity.  But the buyers who are out looking are serious.  They are heading out in the snow and freezing temperatures to look at homes and using their savings towards a down payment instead of presents or a vacation.

Distressed properties will not temporarily come off the market, but winter months really show the maintenance and work needed for many of these homes.  These properties can become victim to the brutal winters and if no one is managing the home, small repairs or upkeep can lead to larger problems such as frozen / bursted pipes.  Last winter, I viewed a home that appeared to have a leaking pipe coming from the kitchen.  The home wasn’t heated, and the small amount of water that leaked out turned into a thin sheet of ice over the kitchen and hallway floor.

Even if the home is not being sold distressed, many have become rental properties.  This has increased in likelihood as many homeowners have become situational landlords.  When a property becomes a rental, sometimes there are changes done to the property that affect the overall look and feel.  Light fixtures, appliances and even flooring are common items that are usually altered when a home is rented out.

Understanding what these changes are in winter months can help leverage your position on the market.  Keep the marketing strong  and plan for winter showings to help prevent stress and maintain market position.

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Sherwin L. Sucaldito, REALTOR®, GREEN, ABR, CRPM
@properties
The Institute of Luxury Home Marketing
Green REsource Council, GREEN
Accredited Buyer’s Representative , ABR
Certified Residential Property Manager, CRPM

Creative Commons LicenseWinter Blues” by Sherwin Sucaldito is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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