Does It Make Sense to Sell Your PDX Home in the Winter? Tips to Make Sure Things Go Well

Conventional Real Estate Wisdom May Not Apply in Portland

You have probably heard the conventional wisdom somewhere; it even manages to make the rounds in a place as unconventional as Portland. But, on the off chance that it hasn’t gotten to you yet, then here it is: “You should never try to sell your home in winter. There aren’t any buyers. The weather will work against you,” they say. 

Only this is Portland, where the conventional wisdom may be conventional, but it isn’t necessarily wise. 

There are many reasons why selling a home in Portland during the winter season isn’t necessarily the uphill slog that it can be in many other places. The main reason for this is that Portland is an incredibly hot, incredibly tight market right now. Homes getting listed are facing a glut of buyers, regardless of what the weather is doing. 

Also, as you know, Portland winters are generally milder than they are in many other places, and the primary weather – forty-degrees and raining a little – just doesn’t bother the locals who may be ready to relocate.

But, selling in winter (even a Portland winter) can present some challenges. Here then, are some tips to make selling your PDX home – whether you’re in St. Johns, Sellwood, or Multnomah Village – go just a little easier. It mostly comes down to creating a welcoming, cozy, Portland-winter indoor environment. To do that, you have to compensate for a couple of things we all know and love about the winters in PDX.

The Light (Or the Lack Thereof)

Okay. One of the first things you will have to combat is the seasonal dark that accompanies our shorter days at this time of year. Daylight hours are naturally shorter in the winter up here above the forty-fifth parallel. And once we roll the clocks back in early November, the sun starts to set right around four in the afternoon. 

This can make presenting your home in all its welcoming glory a bit more challenging than it is when those summer days last past eight in the evening. 

To combat shorter days and earlier nights (and the inevitable cloud cover) in Portland’s winter months, schedule your viewings for weekends in the late mornings and early afternoons. Lighten up your window treatments and make sure that any bushes or trees blocking the available light from entering your home have been trimmed back. Use an abundance of incandescent lights to brighten up your interior, while adding to the feeling of “warmth” in your home. 

The Damp 

There are years when we get lucky in Portland, and the constant drizzle – the damp that we’re all pretty well accustomed to – is interspersed between dazzlingly bright days. But anyone who’s lived through more than one or two Portland winters knows that you can’t count on a sun break just because you need one. Most of the winters here are long trips through a succession of damp days.  

So because it is damp outside, it cannot feel even slightly damp in your home. When showing a home during a Portland winter, it is imperative that you keep your home well heated (though not uncomfortably so). 

It is also imperative that you have prepped the environment of your home so that any hint of the possibility of what comes with damp (mold and mildew) is not about to enter your prospective buyers’ minds. 

Making Your Portland Home Cozier for the Sale, Both Indoor and Out

It goes without saying that your outdoor environment: your yard, the flower beds, your shrubs and trees, also need to be looking their very best for any winter showing. While your buyers won’t likely be spending much time in your outdoor environment, you won’t want them obsessing over how many leaves they’ll need to clean up or how untamed your yard looks in winter. 

Adding winter beverages and snacks during your open house is another great way to provide a cozy feeling to your prospective buyers – good luck, and when you’re ready to sell your PDX home, get in touch with us here at Urban Nest– we know PDX!