Thinking of selling your home this fall? While the fall season typically sees a slow down of house sales, it’s not to say it’s a bad time to sell; you may just have to put in a little extra effort to ensure that your home stands out amongst others.
Autumn’s beauty helps to create instant curb appeal for your home. Trees with leaves in warm tones of pumpkin, red and gold naturally provide a lovely backdrop for your home. Certainly fall’s rich and warm hues help to create a great first impression for your home and property. Now go the extra mile and do some work to make your home all the more sale ready for fall.
Maintain your lawn. Yes, your lawn needs attention and care during the fall season so now is no time to stop, especially if you are planning to sell! Maintain your lawn by raking leaves and twigs and patching brown spots. Prune shrubs and bushes. At the same time, ensure that walkways are free of leaves and debris. Clean gutters and downspouts too.
Make your front entranceway a fall focal point. Create a warm and welcoming feeling to your front walkway and porch area. First impressions do count, so be sure to set a favorable tone for potential home buyers. Spruce up your front entranceway with tasteful fall décor and plants. A fall inspired door wreath adds instant appeal. Take advantage of the beauty of fall flowers. A series of potted mums on either side of the front door is an easy way to help frame the front entrance. Or, with Halloween approaching, consider adding a couple of urns filled with fall plants and flowers and even pumpkins and gourds for great color and a really stunning first impression.
Inside, highlight the fireplace; it’s a super fall selling feature. Make your fireplace shine by making it the focal point. To start, add beautiful artwork to the mantle or perhaps candles or even a collection of treasured vases filled with fresh fall flowers to draw the eye upward. Nestling furniture around the fireplace is another way to make the fireplace a focal point in any room. Add cozy cushions and a throw to the couch or chairs surrounding the fireplace to complete the mood.
Make widows sparkle. Clean your widows and open blinds and curtains to let the light in. If you have a great view outside, be sure to flaunt it! In fact, everything in your home should be sparkling clean for showings. Pay particular attention to the front hall where fall leaves and debris can blow in from outdoors and muddy shoes can leave a mess on floors. Of course, no matter the season, always de-clutter before even thinking of inviting potential home buyers into your home for showings.
Play up a festive fall mood by adding flowers inside the home. Adding fall flowers to just about any room in the house is an instant pick-me-up. Flowers are simply beautiful. Rooms with fresh cut flowers look warm and inviting. A fall centerpiece on the dining room table for example is certain to stand out and make a great impression. Also take advantage of the sense of smell. Perhaps some baking before showings will do the trick. If time is short, lightly scented candles or even a pot of apple cider and cinnamon brewing on the stove will help to create a warm feeling in your home.
Make sure everything works and looks fresh. Everything should be in good working order. No leaky toilets, loose knobs or handles and walls and ceilings should be clean and free of chips, etc. Take the advice of a professional real estate agent for an objective view of what work absolutely needs to be done to ensure the quick sale of your property. Sometimes interior or some exterior painting is all that is needed to freshen up a home and make it ready for sale.
Enlist the expertise of a licensed real estate agent. If you don’t already have one, invest the time to find an experienced realtor to work on your behalf. One of the most important things you can do is develop a relationship with an experienced real estate agent with whom you are comfortable. Your realtor will be an active partner every step of the selling process. He/she will provide invaluable facts from comparable prices, advice on housing market conditions, information on neighborhood trends and much more. She will help you price your house correctly. Some buyers may be looking for a bargain before the holidays and your real estate agent will offer sound advice to price your house competitively.
Have a wonderful fall season and happy house selling!