Selling Your Home in Winter: Snow, Ice and Showings

4 min read · Thames Valley Snow, London, Ontario

First impressions start at the curb

Buyers often decide how they feel about a house before they reach the front door. In winter, that first look is the driveway, the walkway and the steps. A driveway that is cleared edge to edge, with the windrow at the end removed, tells a buyer the home has been looked after. A driveway with ruts, a frozen ridge of plow snow and an icy path to the door sends the opposite message.

Snow is also a safety question. During a listing, many people you have never met walk up to your door: buyers, agents, appraisers, home inspectors and sometimes contractors giving estimates. Showings happen at all hours, often in the dark late in the afternoon. Every one of those visitors needs a safe route from the street to the door.

A winter showing checklist

• Clear the full width of the driveway so visitors can park off the street.
• Clear the walkway and every step to the front door, not just a narrow path.
• Salt or de-ice the steps and landing, especially before freezing rain and on nights when meltwater refreezes.
• Make sure the lockbox, doorbell and house number are easy to find and not buried by snow.
• Leave the porch light on a timer so late-afternoon showings are not in the dark.
• Keep a mat and a boot tray inside the door so visitors are not tracking salt across your floors.
• Check side doors and the path to the backyard if buyers will want to see the yard or a detached garage.

Listing photos and inspections

If your listing photos are taken in winter, a freshly cleared driveway and walkway make the exterior shots look tidy and show off the parking space. Book the photographer for a day after the driveway has been cleared, not in the middle of a storm.

Home inspectors usually want to look at the roof line, the foundation, the exterior of the furnace venting and the outdoor parts of the heating and cooling system. Clearing snow away from vents, the gas meter and any heat pump unit helps them do that, and it is good practice all winter anyway. See our guides on keeping furnace vents and gas meters clear and keeping your heat pump clear.

If you have already moved out

Many sellers move before the sale closes. An empty house still needs its driveway and walkway cleared, both for showings and so the property does not look vacant. It is also worth talking to your insurance company about any conditions that apply while a home is unoccupied, and asking a neighbour to keep an eye on it.

When you are not there to see it, proof matters. With Thames Valley Snow you get a timestamped photo after every visit, so you and your agent can see that the driveway was cleared without driving over to check. Our guide on what happens when you are away during a snowstorm covers more.

Seasonal plan or per-visit?

If you expect to be in the home for most of the winter, a seasonal plan is the simplest choice. Your driveway is cleared automatically from December 1 to March 31 whenever 5 cm or more falls, with return visits in long storms and the City windrow cleared. If you only need help for a short listing period, per-visit snow removal at $70 to $85 a visit may suit you better. Mention your expected listing and closing dates when you ask for a quote so we can talk through the options.

Seasonal prices (all plus HST):

• Single or 1.5-car driveway: $650 to $725
• Double driveway: $815
• 3-car, paver or stamped driveway: $1,050
• Walkway and steps: from $150, or $175 for a walk plus up to 6 steps; sidewalk $90
• Seasonal salt, including freezing rain and refreeze visits: $175
• Pet-safe de-icer: $120
• Priority early-morning clearing: $125

Seasonal plans need a 30% deposit, with the balance due before December 1. Seniors and front-line workers save 5%. We carry $2,000,000 in liability insurance, are registered with WSIB and are members of the London Property Management Association.

Get your home show-ready

We measure every property from City of London maps and aerial imagery and send a fixed price within 1 business day. Ask for a free quote, read more about walkway and steps clearing and salting and ice control, or call or text (548) 888-8702.