Selling a home in fall has unique challenges: there is less natural light and fewer daylight hours, most yards require more maintenance, and many people’s schedules are busier. But fall can be a great time to sell as well! With the right approach, you can turn many of these challenges into advantages.
For example, there are generally fewer buyers and sellers in fall than in spring and summer, but those looking at homes are often shopping with more serious intent to buy. Additionally, a quieter housing market means processes like loans and inspections can happen faster. Here are some dos and don’ts for selling your house in the fall.
1. Make your house look inviting
When the weather can’t be counted on to beautify the property for you, some things that increase your house’s appeal as potential buyers arrive and enter include: landscape lighting, a clear driveway and paths, a warm, light, mildly fragrant interior, clean walls and windows, working drains, gates, and doors.
2. Do visual touch ups inside and out
A clean yard is a must: rake leaves, collect loose sticks and debris, trim branches and bushes, mow the lawn. Consider spreading fresh mulch or laying turf, as these can make your yard pop. Inside, clean and dust surfaces, recaulk, have carpets cleaned, replace air filters. In colder months, a clean and dry interior is even more important.
3. Photograph and show the house in good light
Spring is the best time of year for natural light, so consider photos of the property from earlier in the year if you have them. If you need new photos, pick a time with bright, even lighting, like a thinly overcast afternoon. The quality will be worth it to pay a photographer if you aren’t comfortable with cameras and lighting. For showings, maximize interior light, let in as much natural light as possible, set up additional lamps in dark spaces. If you decide to hire a realtor, often times the realtor will include professional photos in the services they provide at no charge to you.
4. Check the chimney, fix the furnace
Make sure your home’s heating system is working well and has clean filters and vents, so that you can keep it at a comfortable temperature with fresh air for showings.
5. Hire a realtor
You increase your chances of selling your house when you price it right for the market, which means knowing the value of the property, and whether you’re in a buyers, sellers, or balanced market. A good real estate agent will help you price your home to sell without accepting a lowball offer. Here are some more reasons to hire a realtor.
6. Feed prospective buyers’ imaginations
Help your house’s future owners envision themselves entertaining guests and celebrating holidays in the space by arranging furniture for group conversation and decorating tastefully. Making your space look and smell cozy is a great way to complement the natural beauty of autumn, but showing your house’s year-round appeal in October means not putting up the Halloween decorations all over the yard. Avoid holiday-specific decor, but embrace the season; arrange seating areas for conversation, not TV viewing. If the house has a gas or electric fireplace, that can be a great way to embellish fall ambience. Heating some cinnamon or pumpkin on the stove or burning a lightly scented candle can enhance this effect.
7. Be flexible and stay on top of it
School, vacation, weather, and holidays increase pressure on schedules in autumn, so being flexible with meetings and your closing date can help. Keeping up with yard maintenance is important, as leaf and debris accumulation reduces the house’s curbside appeal. Keeping the space well lit and heated for showings will increase your chance of selling.
With these tips and persistence, you can sell your house at a good price in the fall.