We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience and deliver our services. By continuing to visit this site, you agree to our use of cookies.More info
Benge Redding Luxury SpecialistsBenge Redding Luxury Specialists
Call Us:

941.650.3732

Message Us:

[email protected]

  • START YOUR SEARCH
  • SELLER EXPERIENCE
  • BUYER EXPERIENCE
  • SPORTS DIVISION
  • EXPLORE OUR AREA
  • MEET THE TEAM
  • TESTIMONIALS
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
    • Call Us:

      941.650.3732

    • Message Us:

      [email protected]

    Featured Image

    How to Prepare Your Home for the Season

    If you're preparing your home for fall and winter, you're probably looking forward to family gatherings and other holiday...

    • SAMANTHA KASPRZYK-BENGE
    • November 8th, 2022
    • 4 min read

    If you're preparing your home for fall and winter, you're probably looking forward to family gatherings and other holiday fun. However, you may run into seasonal challenges if you also plan on selling your home during this busy time. Distracted buyers, home staging issues, and the end of daylight savings time offer prime examples.

    Are you preparing your home for fall showings, or do you need to start preparing your home for winter buyers? A basic understanding of seasonal challenges can help you overcome them. Let's examine a few of these hurdles and their potential remedies.

    Seasonal Smells to Help Buyers Feel at Home

    Most people don't want to run from one open house to the next during the holidays. They'd rather spend that time enjoying the season in their own homes. Between that desire and other seasonal distractions, your list of prospective buyers may look thin this time of year. For this reason, you'll want to ensure the people who view your home feel less inclined to rush through the showing. A crafty appeal to their sense of smell can do that when preparing your home for winter showings.

    Home staging is about making the buyer feel at home. When you think about the holidays, you may recall seasonal household smells, from pumpkin spice to peppermint candy canes. Those odors don't just evoke the season; they also summon precious memories of holidays past in your beloved home. When you add those scents to your home, you help buyers envision future happy holidays there.

    Baking and holidays naturally go together. Fresh bread, a vanilla candle, and cinnamon essential oils can fill the home with seasonal cooking aromas. Your visitors will feel perfectly at home the instant they enter the house. As a result, they may stay longer and come away with a stronger impression.

    Tackling Time Change Challenges

    Even after enticing buyers with seasonal scents, you may still face challenges from the seasonal time change. The recent switch from daylight savings time to standard time means the sun will set on your property an hour earlier. You'll therefore have that much less time each day to show your home. Meanwhile, the approach of the Winter Solstice reduces available daylight even more.

    Thankfully, some clever strategies can help you sell your home even after daylight savings time has ended. For instance, you can brighten your interior. You might consider a fresh coat of paint in a white or eggshell shade. Light-colored pillows, drapes, curtains, and furniture coverings can enhance the sense of cheer. If the interior still looks dim in the absence of daylight savings time, consider adding extra lighting or using brighter bulbs. Your exterior may also benefit from additional lighting touches, such as an illuminated front walk.

    Preparing your home for fall or winter may call for other adaptations too. Buyers feel less willing to look at properties in low light and cool temperatures. You might have to make yourself more available during daylight hours and accept less evening traffic. You can make up some of the difference by showing your home seven days a week.

    Hosting Gatherings Without Sabotaging Your Home Staging

    Preparing your home for fall and winter readies you for family gatherings and seasonal parties. However, hosting such get-togethers without spoiling your home staging efforts can prove challenging. Fortunately, careful planning can let you have your holiday cake and eat it too.

    You don't want to spend hours hanging elaborate holiday decorations to take them down again later for staging reasons. Address your home staging needs before you set up your holiday decorations. Once you've applied that fresh paint, de-cluttered the interior, and made other necessary changes, you can prepare for your holiday events without fear of interruption.

    Seasonal decorations can make your home more welcoming. However, you may want to tone it down while showing your home. Dim the outdoor colored lights to make the exterior less flashy, and keep the holiday decor on the sparse or understated side. You want to help prospective buyers imagine living in your home all year round, not just in the fall and winter.

    Enjoy a smoother home sale while preparing your home for winter or fall festivities. Contact our team for more helpful seasonal tips and any other real estate questions you may have - we're happy to help!

    Button CTA

    Author Photo
    About the author

    SAMANTHA KASPRZYK-BENGE

    941.650.3732
    Samantha is a prominent figure in Sarasota’s luxury real estate scene. With more than 20 years of experience and over $325 million in sales, she’s recognized for her keen insight and strategic acumen. Renowned for her straightforward approach and analytical mindset, Samantha has established a track record of exceptional outcomes, helping her clients maximize their investments with integrity and unwavering commitment. For the past 20+ years, Samantha has been a trusted guide for clients seeking their ideal home in Sarasota’s stunning landscape, from beachfront properties to cultural hotspots. Her honest, direct approach and deep understanding of her clients’ needs have built a loyal base of repeat clients and strong connections with Sarasota’s most respected real estate professionals. Samantha’s attention to detail and commitment to her sellers ensure that every property reaches its full market potential. Her ability to seamlessly navigate complex transactions, combined with her strategic thinking and dedication, has earned her the highest regard in the industry. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a degree in Business Administration, Samantha's midwestern values and strong work ethic are at the core of her success. Beyond her career, Samantha is passionate about Sarasota’s cultural and natural beauty. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time by the Gulf of Mexico with her daughter, Isla, embracing the “salt-life” that so many of her clients desire. Partnering with Keith Redding under William Raveis, Samantha continues to deliver exceptional results as part of the leading family-owned real estate firm along the Suncoast.

    Similar posts like this

    Adaptable Homes: Designing for Multi-Functionality in Every Room

    If the last few years have changed the way we live, they’ve also changed the way we look at the spaces we live in.
    Read more

    House Hunting Fatigue? Here’s How to Stay Focused

    At the beginning of the home search, excitement is high. Every new listing feels full of possibility. But as weeks stret...
    Read more

    Why Your First Week on the Market Is the Most Important

    You only get one chance to make a first impression. And in real estate, that chance lasts about a week.
    Read more
    Benge Redding Luxury Specialists

    Benge Redding Luxury Specialists

    6021 Midnight Pass Rd., Sarasota, FL 34242

    6021 Midnight Pass Rd., Sarasota, FL 34242

    Call Us:

    941.650.3732

    Message Us:

    [email protected]

    Footer Links

    • SELLER EXPERIENCE
    • BUYER EXPERIENCE
    • SPORTS DIVISION
    • EXPLORE OUR AREA
    • ABOUT
    • TESTIMONIALS
    • SEARCH FOR HOMES
    • GET PREAPPROVED
    • HOME VALUE
    • MORTGAGE CALCULATOR
    • BLOG
    • CONTACT
    Privacy Policy

    Benge Redding Luxury Specialists © 2025

    Powered by