Staging for Snowbirds
You can tell by the traffic on A1A and Atlantic Avenue that the Season is here 
and the snowbirds are back. It means cooler weather, more fun events, and more people interested in making Delray their winter or permanent home.
Many real estate agents have already alerted their sellers to this and were ready to hit the market running! But the season is just starting so if you are thinking of selling your house or using it as a seasonal rental, here are some tips for staging for snowbirds.
1.Put yourselves in their heads.
Snowbirds have their primary homes up north. Coming here for the winter is a way of escaping the cold and for many it’s their investment in the future for when they retire.
2.Make it Move-in Ready
It goes without saying that most buyers these days want move-in ready homes but is even more true for snowbirds. If they are down here to buy, they want to be able to move in without having to wait while updates and repairs are made.
3.Repair
High on a snowbird’s list will be a property where little has to be done on their part. Address any repairs and deferred maintenance now.
As a snowbird buyer walks through your home, they will be making a mental list of items that must be fixed or repaired, and that will might delay their being able to use their new home after closing.
4.Paint
You may think that the new owners will want to paint the property their own color, and they might. But you won’t want to take a chance that they will be able to see past your very owner specific deep purple bedroom or all white walls that say nothing.
5.Give them what they want!
They’re here in South Florida. They want to see the sunshine and the outdoors!
Clean your windows.
Trim any trees and bushes that hide your home.
Make your patio area an oasis! Invest in a comfortable patio set with chairs and a table.
Add plants and flowers so any buyer can see this as their home away from home.
6.Update If your budget allows consider making some updates that will bring your home into “today.”
Consult with your real estate agent or home stager to see what updates can bring you the best return on your investment. We can show you how to stage towards the latest trends.
The snowbirds are here and if you plan on selling your house you can follow these tips to help get your home sold.
Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager
561-914-6224 Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com
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Good morning Kathy! This is definitely a time to be prepared! Enjoy your day!
Great tips to get snowbirds to purchase.....they're going to buy something if they haven't already.....make it yours.
Good morning Kathy. It is that time of the year. If only I had the time and money, but alas right now that isn't in the cards.
Hi Kathy. Traffic jams and long waits at the restaurants. Nice time of the year.
Good morning Kathy Streib ,
Snowbirds are excited to escape the cold and come to your area to enjoy all the Delray Beach has to offer. They don't want to utilize their precious time to devote to updating a property! Excellent tips on getting a home ready to sell to the many snowbirds that are looking!
Good morning Kathy,
Great tips for any area and time of year.
Import some snow and throw it on the driveway to make us feel more at home!
Make yourself a great day.
Kathy - this is a good point. My sister moved to Florida 20 years ago and has a hard time thinking of the cold North. The snowbirds see fall and winter in Florida through a different lens.
Thank you for the great tips. i will share these with others.
Good morning Kathy and well done. I agree that second home buyers have no interest in major projects.
Good morning, Kathy Streib that's a great list to provide to potential sellers....but those sellers would be wise to just call you for guidance and then they will be assured of doing everything properly.... that's how homes sell at the first showing...
Kathy-That is the last thing I want to do as well. I want to just enjoy life.
Most of the birds we know will not take flight until next month...great heads up for pepole who are marketing to them !
I think the need for it being move in ready is critical for snow birds!
Excellent advice! A lack of maintenance will send those snowbirds flying right out the door!
I would love to say our roads are now moving easier and traffic flowing a bit faster now that they are all down in your area, but all the leaf peepers have taken the snow birds place.
Kathy Streib provides a sampling of how this all works. Contact her for more
Hi Kathy -- while I find most buyers want move-in condition, I'm sure it's extra important for snowbirds. After all, they want to enjoy all of the benefits of a vacation and most people don't like home improvement projects when they can be doing all of the fun things available.
Never really thought about it, but it makes sense to stage for specific seasonal buyers.
Hi Kathy Streib ,
While other places around the country are starting to settle in for the winter, we get a tremendous influx of those who want to see the Fall colors as well as enjoy warm weather. Sedona has a local population of 10,000 and we get 4 to 5 million visitors a year! As I am sure is the case in Florida as well as other seasonal tourist locations, locals know time and the places to go to avoid the tourists.
Kathy - A great list to remember exactly what snow birds usually want... Well done!
I suspect that Canadian snowbirds will be buying a lot less US property over the next while. The Canadian dollar has been devalued by approximately 20% so far this year. It also means that many people are making few trips to the sunny south this year as well. We are also paying a lot more for imported items from throughout the world since a large number of goods are priced in USD in international commerce regardless of the country of origin.
I tell my sellers...snowbirds do not want to do a thing but move in some furniture and relax. Do not leave the carpet and offer a carpet allowance. Replace it!
I think this is excellent advice for staging anywhere. And you reminded me I have so much stuff to do.
Great tips that apply to our market here as well. I really like Sheri Sperry 's picture above and the fact that fall starts here when the license plates start to change color, rather than the leaves, haha.
Kathy, it's so funny that almost of the best staging advice columns are aimed at staging for a particular group, but they apply to appealing to all buyers!
Kathy Streib I think that if I owned that DelRay Beach house I would want to rent it to them for the season. Matter-of-fact I would like to have several DelRay Beach houses to rent out by the week.
Bill Roberts
Can't wait to be a snowbird. Hopefully the person I'm renting from read your article.
Good morning Kathy. Outstanding post, it sure is great for snowbird and the rest of us as well.
Kathy,
Yes, this is definitely what the snowbirds are looking for. We were just in Naples last Wednesday, and the influx is there also. They want to have that sunshine feel. A
exactly.. show off florida the way we get to enjoy it year round with bright and sunny!
I purchased 2 condos on the beach in Destin,Florida and have snowbirds in them every winter.
Kathy another great post. Snowbirds are a specific niche and you know exactly how to stage a home for this segment. Updated & move-in ready is what they all say they want here in my area.
Kathy, these are all great tips and things that all sellers want to do before listing their home for sale. All buyers want move in ready ... with the exception of an investor/flipper.
Excellent advice. I like that the phrase "bring your home into today."
Hi Kathy - Our buyers must be snowbirds too, because all of those staging tips work really well for them too.
It's snowbird season here as well! I'll be blogging about all the golf courses and retirement communities in the coming weeks!
Kathy
Congratulations on the gold star on an outstanding post.
Good luck and success.
Lou Ludwig
Put yourself in their heads says it all Kathy. Great blog today.
It was a hard thing to do when my sellers went south for the winter and left me to do what had to be done. Setting things up the way I felt was right took cooperation on both sides
Kathy Streib sometimes I think I should be a snowbird - come winter and fly to south - either FL or CA! (I love both San Diego and Orlando).