Selling Your Home in Winter: What Works in the Rainy Season

Selling between November and February means short days, wet entrances, the odd snowfall and the holidays in the middle of it all. This post is for Lower Mainland sellers listing this winter: what the real estate boards' numbers show about the season, getting a home ready in the dark, wet months, photos, safe showings and planning your dates around the holidays.

The short version

What the winter market looks like

Fewer sellers list around the holidays, so a home listed in December competes with far fewer new listings. The boards' monthly statistics show the size of the swing:

• Metro Vancouver. Greater Vancouver REALTORS® reported 1,849 new listings in December 2025, against 6,684 in April 2026. Its 10-year averages are 1,677 for a typical December and 5,785 for a typical April.
• Fraser Valley. The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board reported 1,350 new listings in December 2025, down 39% from November, against 3,549 in April 2026.
• Total supply. Active listings were 12,550 in Metro Vancouver in December 2025 and 16,236 in April 2026, and 6,965 and 9,816 in the Fraser Valley.

Buyers thin out too: Metro Vancouver had 1,537 sales in December 2025 and 2,110 in April 2026. In January 2026, Greater Vancouver REALTORS® counted 5,157 new listings, almost three times December's number. One winter isn't a forecast, so check the latest figures for your area on my market trends page.

Light for short, grey days

According to the US Naval Observatory's sun tables, Vancouver's sunset is about 5:30 pm in mid-November and 5:16 pm around December 21, when the sun doesn't rise until about 9:05 am. By mid-February, sunset is back to about 6:32 pm.

• Book photos for midday. Around the solstice there are about eight hours of daylight, and the sun is highest a little after 1 pm. Pick a dry day if you can, since puddles and wet decks show in photos.
• Turn every light on for showings. Evening showings are in the dark for most of the season, and early-morning ones are too, since sunrise is after 8:20 am from mid-November to mid-February. Replace burnt-out bulbs and leave lamps on in darker rooms and hallways.
• Light the way in. Check that porch, path and parking lights work, so buyers can see the front of the home and find the door after dark.

Getting the home ready in the wet months

My fall and winter maintenance checklist covers the season's upkeep, and my seller's checklist covers preparation in general. For a winter listing, focus on these:

• A dry entrance. A sturdy mat outside and inside the door, a bench, a boot tray and a spot for umbrellas. Wipe the floor before each showing.
• Comfortable, dry air. Keep the heat at a comfortable setting, even when you're out. Health Canada recommends indoor humidity between 30% and 50%, and running kitchen and bathroom fans while cooking or showering and for a few minutes after. Wipe any condensation off windows and sills.
• Gutters and drainage. Have the gutters cleared once the leaves are down, and check that downspouts carry water away from the house.
• Roof moss. It's easy to spot from the street and in photos. Have a roofer look at it, and at the roof's condition, before you list.
• Leaks. Fix any active leak properly before photos and inspections, keep the invoice and tell your agent, since your answers on the Property Disclosure Statement must be accurate to the best of your knowledge.

Listing photos, including older ones

A garden photo from last July is tempting when the yard is bare. BCFSA, which regulates real estate licensees in BC, says advertising must be truthful, accurate and not misleading, and warns against altering photos in a way that misrepresents a property. A June 2026 legal article from the BC Real Estate Association (BCREA) adds that photos must not misrepresent a property's current state.

• Use an earlier photo only if nothing has changed. If a tree has come down, or the deck or the paint colour is new, the photo needs retaking. These rules apply to your agent, so decide together.
• Check who owns the photos. The same article explains that the photographer generally owns the copyright in listing photos unless a written agreement says otherwise, so photos from a previous listing need written permission to reuse.
• Keep decorations out of the shots. If your listing could run into January, take the interior photos before you decorate.

My staging and listing photos post covers the rest of photo day.

Safe showings in snow and ice

Snow is occasional here, but plan for it. BC's Occupiers Liability Act says the occupier of a property, meaning the person in physical possession of it or in control of its condition, must take reasonable care to see that visitors are reasonably safe there. For a seller living there, that means a safe way in.

• Clear paths, steps and the driveway. The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) suggests clearing the sidewalk and front stairs once the snow stops. Keep salt or sand by the door.
• Know your city's sidewalk rule. In Vancouver, owners and occupants must clear the full width of the sidewalk in front of the property by 10 am each day when there is snow or freezing weather. Other cities set their own rules.
• In a strata, know who clears what. Under the Standard Bylaws, the strata maintains common property, while routine upkeep of limited common property you use, such as a patio, is generally yours.
• Keep decorations simple. Health Canada says never to run cords across doorways where they can trip someone, and blow out any candles before you leave for a showing.

Ask your insurer what your liability coverage includes while the home is listed.

If the home will be empty

Some sellers move out before selling. IBC suggests keeping the heat on and having someone check the property regularly when you're away, and warns that most policies exclude frozen pipe and water damage in a vacant home, even with permission for the vacancy. It also suggests shutting off the water and draining the lines in a vacant home, which doesn't suit showings, so call your insurer before you move out and ask what it requires. Lights on timers keep the home from sitting dark at evening showings.

Timing around the holidays

List in November or early December and you meet the buyers who keep looking through the season; wait for January and you'll have more company. Either can work. For the calendar:

• Offer dates. If you plan to hold offers until a set date, avoid the week of December 25, when buyers and their agents may be away. My post on offer dates explains how holding offers works.
• Subject periods. Lenders, inspectors and strata managers may keep shorter hours over the holidays, so buyers may ask for more time to remove their subjects in late December.
• Completion dates. The Land Title and Survey Authority's offices are closed on Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, and on Monday, December 28 in lieu of Boxing Day, and New Year's Day, Friday, January 1, 2027, is a statutory holiday. Choose a completion date with your lawyer or notary that leaves room around these days.
• Your own plans. Tell your agent which days you're away or hosting, and arrange for someone to clear snow and check the home.

Questions sellers often ask me

Is winter a bad time to list a home?

Not necessarily. Far fewer new listings come on the market in December, so your home faces less competition, though there are fewer buyers too. Whether it suits you depends on your plans, your home and current local numbers.

Can I use summer photos of my garden in a winter listing?

Only if they still show the home accurately. Listing advertising can't mislead, so anything that has changed since needs a new photo. If the photos came from an earlier listing, the photographer usually owns them, and you need written permission to use them again.

What if a buyer slips on my icy driveway during a showing?

As the occupier, you're expected to take reasonable care that visitors are reasonably safe, so keep paths cleared, salted and lit. Whether anyone is liable depends on the facts, so talk to your insurer about your coverage, and to a lawyer if someone is hurt.

Should I leave the heat on if I've already moved out?

IBC suggests keeping the heat on and having someone check the home regularly. It warns that most policies exclude frozen pipe damage in a vacant home, so ask your insurer what it requires before the moving truck leaves.

Can I list in December and complete in January?

Yes. The completion date is whatever you and the buyer agree to in the contract. Agree on one with your lawyer or notary that steers clear of the land title office closures on December 25 and 28 and the New Year's Day holiday.

Planning a winter sale? See how your list price is set, read about the selling process from listing to completion, or consider a pre-listing inspection.

This article is general information, not legal or insurance advice. The details come from Greater Vancouver REALTORS®, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, the US Naval Observatory, Health Canada, BCFSA, BCREA, BC's Occupiers Liability Act and Strata Property Act, the City of Vancouver, IBC and the Land Title and Survey Authority, and were current at the time of writing; market numbers change monthly, and your own insurance policy sets out your coverage. For BCFSA's guide, see its consumer guide to real estate advertising.