Bring In The Sunshine On A Rainy Vancouver Day

After a long, dry summer, rain is a most welcome sight! But the typical weeks-on-end rain cycles that the Lower Mainland receives can hurt in more ways than one. Aside from a Vitamin K deficiency, sunny summer days make showing a house to a potential buyer an easy, breezy task. However, not all days can be sunny, so doing your best to create a warm and inviting environment can make a great first impression that will stay with a potential buyer long after they have finished the showing. So, how can you maximize the potential of your home when it’s all grey clouds and wet weather? We’ve gathered some of the best tips out there to make sure that your home is show ready, rain or shine! 

Light It Up! – This is an easy one. Rain and clouds mean that the day itself will be darker, so of course your home is going to be much darker inside! Make sure any burnt out lights get their bulbs replaced. Keep any blinds or curtains open to allow in any natural light that may break between the clouds, just make sure your windows are clean or it can have an adverse effect! If you’re not too stressed about your BC Hydro bills, you can always leave the lights on in your home when you know you have a showing booked, this will help with the buyers first impression of the home as well! If the Hydro bill scares you, consider just leaving the porch light on as a beacon of light on an otherwise dreary day, or invest in some energy saving light bulbs!

Get Heated! – In the Lower Mainland the rainy seasons are fall and winter, so this typically means that the temperature outside will be nippy. Create an inviting first impression of your home by making sure your heat is set accordingly throughout the day. Not only will you be welcomed home by a lovely warm home when you return from your job or errands, but this will also keep the potential buyer wanting to stay in the house longer rather than face the cold, wet weather outside. The longer they are in your home, the more they will notice the special details that may make up their minds on writing an offer.

Keep It Clean! – If you have multiple showings in a day, you may want to make the choice to ask people to remove their shoes before entering your home, or make sure you have a large mat or rug that they can wipe their muddy shoes on. Nobody wants to walk into a house just to see a track of muddy foot prints, but as the home owner, you especially don’t want to come home to have to clean that up!

Scents-ible! – After a few weeks- or months- of constant rain, a closed up house can take on a stale smell. If you have children or pets, odors can hang around in a house with no fresh air circulating. If you are able to, try to keep any windows cracked throughout the day to let in as much fresh air as possible. Another option is to have an automated air freshener in the home. This is a quick and cheap solution that you can usually find in your local supermarket for under $10. There are usually variable times that you can set the spray to dispense between 6 – 36 minutes with scents like ‘Fresh Linen’ for a natural yet clean smell.

Are you looking to sell your home? We have a team of qualified agents with years of selling experience under their belt! We can market your home and set up showings efficiently, to help get your home sold and for the highest value possible. Contact us today to get the ball rolling, we can even get you into a new home today!