Traditionally, winter isn’t considered the best time to list your home because fewer homebuyers are usually looking. But according to Hilltop market trends, this can also mean there is less competition and more opportunity to make your home shine. In addition, buyers tend to have more urgency to buy in the winter, so homes are often sold more quickly. In fact, a study by Redfin found that the average seller was more likely to get above asking price during the winter months.

Plus, Denver’s generally mild winters mean there are plenty of pleasant house-hunting days all winter long.

If you’re listing your home in the winter, here are some tips to make sure potential buyers have an enjoyable experience looking at your home.

Tip #1: Keep It Light and Bright

Open all blinds and curtain to let in as much natural light as possible. Turn on lights throughout the house, including in the closet. If you have rooms that are particularly dark, tuck away spotlights behind furniture to brighten things up.

Tip #2: Make It Toasty Warm

This isn’t the time to be frugal with the heating bill. It’s not a bad idea to bump up the thermostat so it’s a degree or two above the usuall. Not only will this make it comfortable for buyers, but it will prevent a noisy furnace from kicking on while buyers are there.

And if it’s a particularly cold day, a warm temperature inside might tempt buyers to linger just a bit longer.
If you have a fireplace, make a fire but don’t leave it unattended for too long. If you have a gas fireplace, turn it on.

Tips #3: Create a Cozy Ambience

Set the stage for comfort by tossing afghans or throws on the sofa. Fill vases with fresh flowers throughout the house. Set your dining room table with dinner for four. Add some spa touches to the master bath with items such as decorative soaps and lotions; hang plush bathrobes and towels.

Tip #4: Soothe With Some Quiet Music

Turn on some soft music, such as jazz, classical, or New Age. Don’t use a commercial radio station that has advertisement interruptions.

Tip #5: Go Easy on the Artificial Scents

If you have pets, it can be tempting to go overboard on scented air fresheners, but these scents can bother some people and others might be allergic. Instead, place a small bowl of vanilla in the oven and turn it on low; the aroma will be wonderful. If you are ambitious, you can make cookies ahead of time; just be sure to set some out for those who will be visiting so they won’t be disappointed!

Tip #6: Keep It Visually Pleasing

Make sure your home is spotlessly clean. Empty trash and recycling bins. Polish chrome and clean glass. If you have any undesirable views out any of your windows, partially close the blinds to make it less obvious. Display photographs of how your summer looks in the summertime. Pack away personal items to give potential buyers the opportunity to see themselves living in the home.

Tip #7: Clear a Path

If it does snow, make sure your walkway is shoveled so visitors can get into your home easily.

Talk to your local Hilltop real estate agent when you are ready to sell your home. Contact Elevation Realty today at 303-579-3566 to talk about when it will be the best time for you to list.

We get it—selling your home can be stressful. After all, there are showings to coordinate, realtors to work with, and open houses to prepare for. All that work can seem daunting, but preparing your home for a showing or open house should be the least of your worries. Here are a few tips from University Hills real estate professionals to help you get your house in tip-top shape for prospective buyers.

Take a Look From the Curb

Your home’s exterior often forms prospective buyers’ first impressions about your property. When it looks messy, it can immediately cause them to lose interest in the house. Stand at the curb and examine your landscaping. Trim anything that looks unkempt and pull up any weeds in the lawn or garden bed. Wash the outside of your windows and clear away any leaves or debris from the walkway. The more inviting your house looks from the curb, the more interested buyers will be.  

Get Rid of Clutter

When you have a family, taming clutter can be a real challenge, but it can help make the house look more appealing. Before the showing, pick up any clutter that’s collected on countertops, dressers, and even closets. While buyers will often be more understanding if kids’ rooms look a bit messy, they may lose interest if the rest of the house looks like a mess.

Store Heirlooms and Favorite Items Elsewhere

While the vast majority of prospective buyers will be respectful of your property, others may not be. Rather than risking theft or damage to your favorite possessions, consider storing them elsewhere. If you have a storage unit, move the items until your home sells. If not, you can always remove the items during a showing and put them in the trunk of your car.

Take Care of Minor Repairs

Buyers like to know a home was well-cared for even if it’s older, so rather than letting minor issues slide, take care of them before the showing. Replace burned out light bulbs, lubricate squeaky door hinges, and repaint scuff marks on the walls. These little touches can go a long way when making a home more appealing to would-be buyers. If you have the budget, taking care of larger repairs and maintenance can help you get a better offer. Remember, the more well-maintained your home appears, the more likely it is to sell.

Air It Out

Even the nicest homes can start to smell musty over time. A few hours before the showing or open house, open the windows and let some fresh air in. This way, the house will smell nice without the use of chemical air fresheners or cleaning agents. If you have pets, take extra care to air out their bedding as well. Though you may not smell them, people not used to your house will.

Stay on Top of It

Preparing for showings can take a long time if you go whole days between cleanings. Instead of rushing to get the job done before the realtor arrives, stay on top of the basics. Wipe down bathrooms every other day and vacuum the most lived-in areas once daily. Don’t panic if the dirty dishes pile up—instead, get a little sneaky and stash them in the dishwasher the morning of the showing. You can always rearrange them or wash them by hand after the tour.

At Elevation Realty, we want to make buying and selling a home as simple as possible. Browse our featured properties and contact us today to speak with one of our dedicated realtors in Denver.

To homebuyers, the neighborhood that a home is located in is just as important as the home itself. There are certain neighborhood characteristics that are seen as far more desirable than others. In fact, some neighborhood features are so desirable that they can actually increase the value of homes in that area. Here’s a look at some of the neighborhood features that could affect the value of a home on the University Hills Real Estate market:  

Nature Trails

Many people enjoy hiking, walking, running, or riding bikes, which is what makes nature trails so appealing to today’s buyers. Having nature trails in the neighborhood not only makes it easier for people to exercise, but it also gives parents a way to entertain their kids. As a result, homes that are in neighborhoods with nature trails may be priced higher than similar homes outside of the neighborhood.

Walkability

What is within walking distance from the neighborhood? Many buyers enjoy being able to walk to popular destinations so they don’t have to worry about finding a parking spot. If residents can easily walk to local restaurants, shops, movie theaters, and other popular spots, this could increase the value of nearby homes.

However, if the neighborhood is within walking distance of places such as strip clubs, cemeteries, or shooting ranges, this could lower the value of the homes located nearby. See the neighborhood features that drag down your home value—ranked.

Dog Parks

Neighborhoods that have designated dog parks are highly sought after by buyers with furry, four-legged friends. Being close to a dog park is not only convenient, but it also gives dogs and their owners an opportunity to mix and mingle with other people and pups from the neighborhood.

Buyers that don’t have a dog should still look for a neighborhood with a dog park. Why? Owners will take their dogs to the park instead of walking them around the neighborhood, which means anyone who doesn’t love dogs doesn’t have to worry about running into one. A dog park could keep the rest of the neighborhood cleaner, too, since many people forget to pick up their dog’s waste.

Community Pool

Maintaining a pool takes a lot of time, effort, and money, which is why some buyers are hesitant to purchase a home with this feature. But, a neighborhood with a community pool gives residents the best of both worlds. Residents who live in a neighborhood with a community pool can experience all of the benefits of having a pool without having to deal with the hassle of maintaining it. Living in a neighborhood with a community pool can also make it less challenging to meet other people in the area, since everyone tends to gather around the pool on hot weekends in the summer.   

Now that you know which neighborhood features to look for when choosing a home, it’s time to get in touch with the professionals. Contact Elevation Realty to be connected to a team of experienced real estate experts ready to help you on your home buying or selling journey.

Many buyers who are looking for a home in Observatory Park visit open houses for a chance to view homes in person instead of through a computer screen. An open house is a great way to learn more about the home before deciding whether or not to make an offer. Make the most out of your visit by following these tips:

Arrive Early

Most open houses are scheduled for several hours in the middle of the day. Buyers are welcome to come and go at any time as long as it falls within the scheduled timeframe, but it’s best for buyers to show up right when the open house begins. There will probably be fewer people in the home at this time, so the seller’s agent will be able to spend more one-on-one time with you. This is beneficial for buyers because it means they will get an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the home and why it’s being sold.

Watch Other Buyers

Are you interested in making an offer on the home? If so, stand back and watch how other buyers are reacting to the home. Are people quickly entering and exiting the room or are they lingering to ask the agent questions or take a second look? If buyers are not spending a lot of time on the property, this means you probably won’t have much competition if you decide to make an offer. However, if a lot of buyers are sticking around after touring the property, you may need to act quickly if you want the house to be yours.

Drive Through the Neighborhood

When you buy a home, you’re not just buying the house, you’re buying into the neighborhood as well. For this reason, it’s recommended that you drive through the neighborhood on your way to or from the open house. Figure out which stores and restaurants are nearby, whether people in the neighborhood have pets, and what types of people live in the homes around you. It’s possible that you could love the home, but hate the neighborhood, so this is an important step that must be taken before you make an offer. Learn how to choose a neighborhood.

Bring Your Own Agent

Buyers are welcome to visit open houses without an agent, but it’s in your best interest to bring one along with you. The seller’s agent will be there to answer any questions that you may have about the property, but remember he or she will not have your best interests in mind. Therefore, it’s a good idea to have an agent with you who will be honest when answering your questions and helping you decide whether or not to make an offer.

Now that you know how to make the most out of an open house in Observatory Park, it’s time to get in touch with the professionals. Contact Elevation Realty to be connected to a team of experienced real estate experts ready to help you on your home buying or selling journey.

The Observatory Park real estate market is very competitive. Because Colorado has low unemployment, represents an active lifestyle, has gone "green", and people enjoy a good work-life balance, it's a very popular place to live. In this type of market, houses are flying off the market. Sometimes you blink and a house you love is gone.

That's why you should rely on the real estate professionals at Elevation Realty to assist you with finding your dream home. Sometimes it comes down to minutes when buying a home in a tight market. Buying a home is likely the largest purchase you’ll make in your lifetime so it’s natural to have some anxiety and want some time to think it over, but if you take too much time it’s possible or even probable that you may miss the home of your dreams.

Narrow It Down

To make it possible for you to act quickly without giving yourself an anxiety attack it is important that you sit down and make a list of wants and needs. No property is going to fulfill every single wish, but break your list down to: deal breakers, needs, and wants. Once you find a house that has no deal breakers and several needs met, you can make a serious offer with confidence.

Home Deal Breakers

Anything on the deal breaker list should be important enough to make you walk away from a deal. They should be things that you aren’t willing to compromise on just because you’re tired of house hunting or there are some things from your want list that are turning your head. Deal breakers may be things like, undesirable schools, unsafe neighborhood, long commute. Needs may be things like: a yard for your dog, enough room for your hobby, a garage that fits your car(s), enough closets or other storage space functional for a family your size, or if it’s close to restaurants, shopping and amenities? Things like jacuzzi tubs, gourmet kitchens, fire pits, and back decks are likely to fall under the want category.

The Needs

Needs are important as well but they may have some room for compromise. The outdoor environment may not be what you want but you can possibly make it that way within a few years. The kitchen may be outdated but you might be getting a good enough deal on the house that you can afford to redo it just the way you want it. Be honest with yourself about how much time and money you are willing to put into fixing or remodeling. Also, be honest about how much time you can live with that bathroom tile or lack of storage before it affects your mood. If it’s something you would want done right away analyze the economic feasibility and if you’ll have the energy to deal with that along with settling into a new house. If do-it-yourself projects are your thing you may have some wiggle room. If the thought of picking up a paint roller makes you cringe, come up with a loan amount that you can afford along with your new mortgage and stick with that. You don’t want to put yourself under too much financial pressure.

The Wants

Wants are generally things that can be added as time goes on. They are something that your dream home has but you have been living without and can go a little longer. If the house has zero wants you may want to move on but if it scores high in the deal breaker and need category, decide how long you can wait for some of the things on the list.

Talk to your local Observatory Park realtor to help reduce anxiety and be ready to pounce on your next home. Having a list will help you out immensely and us too! Once you’ve completed your list, share it with your realtor, so we can better serve your needs. Contact Elevation Realty today at 303-579-3566 to discuss purchasing your home!