If you find yourself with a home on the market and winter fast approaching, take heart.

Remember that many buyers in the metro Atlanta market are being transferred into this area by their employer. Often the relocation department has purchased their former home, and they have a limited time to make a decision before the remainder of their family arrives here expecting a place to live.

Agents love getting these "relo" buyers because they represent a relatively quick sale with a well-qualified buyer who needs a house today, not next year. And these relocations occur at all times of the year, including winter.

There are a number of things you can do to improve your chances of getting an acceptable offer during the colder months:

* Crank up the marketing.

Let your agent know that you expect more marketing activity in the weeks before New Years Day, not less. And don’t be afraid to help pay for a share of the cost.

Since you may be having holiday parties anyway, plan them to coincide with open houses for the agent community and for the neighborhood. If you are going to the trouble of decorating and make your house look good, you might as well get double exposure for your effort.

Ask your agent to plan a holiday party at your house, and invite every active agent in the vicinity to drop by. Have door prizes and drawings for gift certificates and maybe give away a cruise for two to the Bahamas.

While the house still looks nice, have a neighborhood drop in, and invite all the nosey neighbors to come by for a holiday get-together. The fact that your home is on the market for sale is a mere coincidence. The important thing is to get folks in the door so they can see how nice your home is.

* Make the outside sparkle

I have talked before about the importance of making a good first impression. Many prospective buyers, tired of looking at homes, are actually looking for a reason to rule your home out. An uninviting exterior may be just the excuse they need.

Instead, keep the leaves raked and the yard trimmed, and make sure the front porch area looks great. If you paint nowhere else, this is the area to paint. Make sure there is no mildew or discoloration around the front door, and buy some pots of bright flowers to add color. Bright brass house numbers and doorknobs add sparkle, and fresh mulch in flower beds and around shrubbery is a relatively inexpensive way to dress up your yard.

And please don’t forget to cut back all shrubbery to below window level. Only trees are authorized to rise above your windowsill.

* Make the inside warm and cozy

Always keep in mind that buyers tend to make their decision emotionally, then they try to justify it logically. Therefore, you should try to appeal emotionally to all the senses.

For example, the odor of fresh paint sends a subconscious message that the house is well cared for and recently updated.

The sight, smell and feel of a warm fire in the fireplace is likely to invoke memories of wonderful holidays past.

And the smell of cinnamon sticks in a pot of boiling water in the kitchen is designed to make everyone feel good. In addition, it’s cheaper and faster than cooking a turkey, and just as effective.

I once tried to show a beautiful home to my buyers where the diaper pail had not been emptied on time, and the house simply could not overcome the odor.

Soft (very soft) holiday music in the background sets the right scene, as opposed to the baby crying or the dog barking to get in (or out).

Also, especially in the winter months, be aware that sunset arrives early. Make sure every light in the house, including attic and basement, is on when the prospective buyer arrives. Dark rooms are forbidding, bright rooms are cheerful and inviting.

* Eliminate clutter everywhere

Don’t let holiday gifts and decorations give an appearance of clutter. If there is just too much stuff in any room, get it out of the house. This is where a mini-storage site comes in handy. A cluttered room seems much smaller than it really is, while a room with fewer items in it feels larger.

Clear off your kitchen countertops as much as possible, storing the toaster, the mixer and the blender out of sight. A vast expanse of unused counter gives the impression of a large kitchen, even if the kitchen is small. If you have no place to store the stuff on your counters, get it out of the house.

Implementing as many of these ideas as possible can give your home a strategic advantage during an otherwise slow-moving winter season.