While people are actively looking in the winter just as they are in the spring, summer and fall, most homes just don’t look as good in the brown, drab winter as they do in the spicy spring and summer. If you want to sell your home this winter here are some helpful tips:

1. Keep it cozy. You want your home to be warm so people can comfortably take their time viewing it. Saving money on heating costs isn’t worth it if it means freezing out your potential buyers.
2. Turn up the light. Keep curtains and blinds open during the day. Turn on your lights—both inside and out—at night. Put your lights on timers if you won’t be home until after dark. Use motion detectors to light up in the evening when a potential buyer approaches your doorstep.
3. Point out cold-weather benefits. Have mass transit within walking distance? That’s a big benefit in bad weather because you don’t have to de-ice or dig your car out of the snow in order to get to work. Have an attached garage? Ditto.
4. Set the mood. Play soft, classical music. Toss afghans or throws across the back of your sofa. Hang plush robes in your bedroom or bathroom. Bake chocolate chip cookies or make apple cider before a showing so that the aroma lingers.
5. Clear away snow and ice. Shovel a path through the snow so potential buyers don’t have to get out their snowshoes. De-ice your driveway, sidewalk, steps and porch to prevent slips and falls. If you can’t do it yourself, you need to hire someone to do it for you.
6. Get the windows washed. Sellers often forget to clean their windows before putting their homes on the market.  Sunlight in the winter, especially bouncing off snow is strong and it can reveal grime and make it look like the home hasn't been well-maintained.
7. Display pictures of your property in other seasons.  Display pictures of your property in the spring, summer and or fall so that potential buyers can see what the property looks like. You can put the pictures in a small album and leave it open on, for example, the dining room table so that the buyer’s can see it and flip through it.

Liz Boucher is the Branch Manager of the Coldwell Banker Larchmont office which specializes in both residential and commercial real estate. Liz has been in real estate sales since 1998. She is an associate broker and has been managing the Coldwell Banker office since 2006. You can contact her at 914-834-7100 or at  liz.boucher@cbmoves.com