Tips to Selling Your Home in the Fall

Selling your home in the fall is more challenging then Spring and Summer. I want to give you some tips to help improve your chances of selling your home in the fall.

There are a few reasons as to why it is more difficult to sell your home in the fall. Probably the biggest reason would be that school is back in session and buyers are less likely to look for a new home after school starts.

Don’t be discouraged though, it is not impossible to sell your home in the fall. After reading this article you will have enough information to improve your chances of selling this time of year.

When you are done reading this article be sure to check out my articles “How to Sell Your Home for More” and “How to Sell Your Home Fast” to get more tips on selling your home.

1. Keep Your Leaves Raked

This is probably one of the things on the list that bothers me the most. Ill go to show a home to a buyer client of mine and there are leaves everywhere. Buyers don’t like having to march through piles of leave to get into the house. They also want to walk around the outside of the house to look at the exterior and this is easier if the leaves have been taken care of.

If you have a large yard you might be better off using the mulching feature on your lawn mower. Use a good high-power leaf blower to clear off sidewalks, driveway and porch.
Remember that the outside of your home will form the buyers first impression of your home. You want to go above and beyond to make them get the feeling that your home was well cared for and maintained.

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2. Don’t Over Decorate

It can be fun to decorate in the fall especially if you like Halloween. I suggest not to put up every decoration you have if you are planning on selling your home this fall.

Buyers want to walk through your home and be able to picture or imagine their own furniture and decorations. A few properly place decorations can make your home feel more welcoming and cozier but be care not to over do it.

3. Not Everyone Loves Pumpkin

Believe it or not, not EVERYONE loves pumpkin. Can you blame them thought? Starting October 1st you basically get pumpkin shoved in your face every way imaginable. Just scroll through Facebook, I guarantee you will find something pumpkin flavored in under 5 minutes.

The main reason I bring this up is to address to topic of scents in your home for showings. It is always a great ideal to pick a scent for your home for showings. You need to avoid the temptation of picking your favorite fall scent of pumpkin. You would be better off picking a more neutral scent like Vanilla. Everyone loves the scent of vanilla and you wont risk upsetting a pumpkin hater.

4. Keep your Home Warm

Right about now you should be turning on your furnace. Read my article about Turning on Your Furnace to get some tips about getting your furnace ready for the winter season.

Buyers are coming in from the cold wet weather and when they enter your home it should feel warm and cozy. Don’t over do it though, I have been on showings where the heat was set up too high and my buyers were so uncomfortable they had a hard time focusing on the house.

Another staging tip: don’t leave your couch blankets out. It will cause the buyers to think that your home is drafty or cold. Put them away in the closet and you home will show better.

5. Keep Your Home Bright

During the Fall and Winter seasons it gets darker earlier in the day. Now all evening showings have become night showings. In the summer a 6pm showing is in full daylight but in the fall a 6pm showing is in the dark of the night.

I suggest changing your light bulbs to brighter LED bulbs and in rooms with no ceiling light add an extra lamp or two. This may cost you some money upfront especially the overpriced LED bulbs, but it will improve your chances of selling your home and it will be worth it in the long run.

A brighter home makes your home appear cleaner and updated. Believe it or not changing to brighter light bulbs or changing out old light fixtures and lamps will make your whole home seem updated.

6. Leave the Porch Light On

Remember it ill be darker earlier. It will go a long way to leave the light on for the agent and buyers to be able to see your porch steps. The last thing you want is a possible buyer tripping up your steps or through the front door.

It would also create a more welcoming home to leave on the lights in your home as well. Buyers won’t have to search around for all the light switches and trip around in the dark. It is also more pleasing pulling up to a brightly light home then a dark house.

7. Add Fresh Mulch

By this time of the year your flower bed will be looking a little bare and the mulch will be showing some age. You can improve your curb appeal by throwing down some fresh mulch. It will make the exterior of your home look well taken care of.

You could also add some Fall blooming flowers to add some color. A few options would be Chrysanthemum, Pansy, Flowering Kale, Aster, Sweet Alyssum, or Viola. You don’t have to get all of these, just pick a couple. A few well-placed plants will greatly improve your curb appeal.

For other ideas check out “How to Improve Your Curb Appeal”.

8. Replace Your Air Filter

When you are getting your furnace ready for the winter season don’t forget to replace your air filter. I suggest getting the best quality filter you can buy. This will improve the air quality in your home. You may not think your home has any odor, but you would be surprised how good home buyers’ noses are.

The Best Air Filters will take out all odors, pollen, pet dander cooking odors and many other air pollutants. Spend the $5 extra dollars and get the best quality you can find.

9. Clean Gutters

When you’re outside improving your curb appeal don’t forget to clean the gutters. All the leaves will start gathering on your roof and gutters. This not only looks horrible, but it will cause water to flow over the top of the gutter and it will make a mess and ruin all the work you did trying to improve your curb appeal.

10. Turn Fireplace on for Showings

If you are lucky enough to have a fireplace you can turn it on for showing and make the buyers feel at home. You will need to let your Realtor know that this is your plan, so they are aware of the live fire. If you have a gas fireplace or a enclosed wood burner the danger of fire is less but you will want the buyers to be careful around it especially if they have kids.

Fireplaces are great and can greatly improve the appeal and feel of your home on showings.

One thing I didn’t put on the list was the importance of selecting a Great Realtor. Having the right Realtor will make all the difference in the world. It will be the difference between your home sitting on the market with no showings or having it SOLD quickly.

To help you pick the right Realtor I suggest using my Realtor Interview Questionnaire.

If you have thought about selling and want to talk to a Realtor, you can contact me on here or by calling Nova Star Real Estate.

Good Luck selling your home this Fall.