How Do You Show Your Davis County Home in Winter: Snow, Cold and Early Dark?

Winter showings go well when a buyer can park, walk to the door, come in out of the cold and see a bright, warm home, all without a surprise. Snow, ice, an early sunset and wet boots decide how a buyer feels in the first minute. Sellers who plan for those four things get more from each showing than sellers who rely on the house to speak for itself.

Charisse Walker is a real estate agent with Chalker Properties Group in Salt Lake and Davis County, Utah, and a licensed mortgage lender. She walks sellers through a winter showing checklist before the first appointment.

Below: the checklist for the walkway, the entry, the lights and the heat, how to handle showing requests when the weather is bad, and the mistakes that cost sellers offers.

The path from the street to your door is the first thing a buyer experiences, so make it clear and safe.

• Shovel the driveway, the walk and the steps before every showing. A buyer who is picking their way across ice is not looking at your house.
• Use ice melt or sand on the steps and the walkway. Check the ground again at the end of the day, since melting and refreezing can leave ice behind.
• Clear the area around the lockbox and the front door. Showing agents need to read the box and reach the lock.
• Keep gutters and downspouts flowing. Icicles hanging from a roof edge are a question a buyer will ask about.
• Leave room to park. Plowed snow piled on the street edge can block access. A cleared spot near the house helps.

Safety matters beyond the sale. A visitor who slips on your property is a liability you do not want.

Buyers walk in with snow on their shoes. Make that easy to deal with:

1. Put a sturdy mat outside and another inside.
2. Set out a boot tray, and leave a basket of shoe covers if you like.
3. Make space for coats. A clear bench or a few hooks keeps coats off your furniture.
4. Protect your floors where traffic is heaviest, with runners or washable rugs.
5. Wipe up wet spots between showings if you can.

Ask showing agents, in the showing instructions, whether they would prefer shoes on or off, and say it plainly. A sign by the door is clearer than a note in the listing.

In winter, the sun sets in the late afternoon, and a showing at 4 PM can happen in half dark. A cold, dim house feels smaller and less cared for.

• Set the thermostat to a comfortable level before each showing. A buyer standing in a cold living room is already negative about the rest.
• Turn on every light. That includes closets, basement rooms, the garage and porch lights. Replace burned-out bulbs and use the same color of bulb across a room.
• Open blinds during the day. Daylight is still the best light you have.
• Light the exterior. A porch light and path lights help the approach, especially for evening appointments.
• Check the fireplace. If it is working and safe, a fire in a gas fireplace can add warmth. If you are unsure whether it is safe to use, leave it off.

Winter keeps windows closed, so smells stay in. Air the house out before showings, empty the trash, run the vent fan after cooking and clean the pet areas. If you have a pet, arrange for it to be elsewhere during showings, since not every buyer is comfortable with animals, and a dog in a crate can make some agents uneasy.

Coats, boots, holiday decorations and gear tend to take over a house in winter. Keep what you need within easy reach and store the rest. Buyers want to see closets and garages with room in them. Holiday decor can stay if it is tasteful and light, but extra decor can crowd the rooms.

The staging guide goes deeper on what is worth doing.

Roads in Davis County can change fast in a storm. A few rules help:

• Leave the decision with the buyer. If a buyer or an agent wants to reschedule for safety, agree gladly. Pushing a showing in poor conditions rarely helps.
• Clear the path again after a storm. Even if the showing was booked days before.
• Keep the calendar flexible. Offer alternate times without making the buyer feel they have lost their chance.
• Share good photos and a video walkthrough. Buyers who cannot come immediately can still see the house.

A buyer who chooses to tour in the cold is giving your home real time. Make the visit easy.

• Not clearing the walk until a showing is booked. Do it daily.
• Leaving the thermostat low to save money. The showing is not the place to save.
• Skipping lights in the evening. A dark house looks smaller.
• Requiring a strict shoe rule without a place to put them. Provide a tray and a mat.
• Being home during showings. Buyers speak more openly when you are not there.
• Taking low feedback personally. Use the comments to adjust.

If showings come but offers do not, the cause may be price or condition, not the weather. A pricing review can help sort out which.

Here is a typical example, not a client story. A seller in Kaysville has a showing booked for 4:30 on a December afternoon. The sun is nearly down, a light snow fell at noon and the walk is slick. The seller shovels the path an hour before, puts down ice melt, turns on every light in the house and sets the heat a few degrees warmer than usual. A boot tray and a mat wait by the door.

The buyer arrives to a bright, warm house with a clear path. Nothing about the entry distracts from the home itself. The seller cannot control whether the buyer likes the floor plan, but they have removed the reasons for a poor first impression.

Showing instructions are the short notes agents see when they book. In winter, use them to answer the questions before they are asked. Say where to park and which door to use. Say whether shoes come off and where they go. Say whether the heat is set for showings and whether any lights are on a timer. Note anything that needs care, like an icy step on the side of the house or a gate that sticks in the cold.

Keep it short and friendly. A clear note saves an agent a phone call and tells them the seller is organized. Update it after each storm, because instructions written in October may not match a January driveway. Ask your agent to read the notes the way a stranger would, and to fix anything that could confuse a first-time visitor.

Should I list my Davis County home in winter? It can work. Some buyers tour in winter because they have a deadline, and there may be fewer listings to compare against. Whether it is right for you depends on your goals and your timeline.

Should the lights be on during showings? Yes, in every room, even in daytime.

Can I ask buyers to remove their shoes? Yes, if you make it easy and say so politely.

Do I need to be gone for showings? It helps. Buyers feel freer to look around.

What if my yard is covered in snow in the photos? Winter photos can still show the house well. Focus on the interior and exterior shots that show the home's features.

Charisse Walker is a real estate agent with Chalker Properties Group in Salt Lake and Davis County, Utah, and a licensed mortgage lender. When she is your agent, she plans the showing schedule, the entry and the lighting with you, and reads buyer feedback with you so you know what to adjust.

If you are getting ready to list, the selling your home page lays out the steps, and the Kaysville area page and Layton area page compare those cities on price trends and housing stock. The process page shows how a sale moves from listing to closing.

Planning a winter listing? Contact Charisse and she will map out a showing plan with you.