Selling Your Home in the Fall

Selling Your Home in the Fall 

How to Show Your Home Best!  Fall Home Selling Tips.

It is a popular belief that Spring and Summer are the best seasons to sell your house. But, this is not entirely true!

If you want to sell your home in Fall, there are many ways to make sure that your house looks attractive and cozy to the buyer.  After all, the Fall season is the kickoff to many family traditions and get togethers, so making your house homey and welcoming would be a good selling feature.


Fall- A Good Time to Sell Your House
Contrary to popular belief, Fall is actually a great time to put up your house for sale. Here are several good Fall Home Selling Tips:

1. It is the holiday season, and families set out together to go house hunting. Getting the opinion of a family member, especially one that may be helping with the down payment, could play a role. 
2. People tend to move during summer break and holiday breaks to make the kids transition in school easier.
3. Decorating your home for the holidays can add another layer of appeal. Fall is a great time because the trees and lawn still look good. After January it won't look so great.
4. Believe it or not, some people are looking for a place as a holiday gift for their families.  
5. Timing could play a role. Most people who are serious about buying want to be in a new home before the holidays. They want to feel settled during this time of the year.
6. Buyers who are serious and want to be settled, tend to haggle less on the terms of the purchase of the property, and hence the transaction takes less time. 
7. Only serious buyers visit your house during Fall, and thus you are saved from dealing with a long line of people entertaining themselves, like Summer months.
8. Less competition on homes for sale. Many sellers, who aren't motivated to sell, take their homes off the market after Summer and many people don't want to move during the holidays. But, if you are flexible, you can attract a motivated buyer and sell for top dollar!

Preparing Your Home For Fall Selling
You can turn Fall to your advantage, by taking simple actions to make your house look attractive and cozy to the buyer. First Impressions Count!

1. Curb Appeal. Give your house a fresh coat of paint from the outside. Keep your lawn mowed and tidy to give a good image of the house. Make sure gutters are clean and sidewalks/drives swept.
2. Yard Maintenance. You can plant Fall flowers like asters, chrysanthemums etc. in your backyard to make it look charming. These flowers will add a touch of freshness to your house, and will compliment the Fall season.  Get some pumpkins, gourds, and other pretty fall decorations.
3. Tidy Up. Make sure that your house looks clean, tidy and cozy from the outside as well as the inside. Get a cinnamon broomstick for a nice holiday scent. 
4. Interior Decorating. You can decorate your house to compliment the season. Pick neutral shades for the walls, and use warm colors like maroon, burgundy, rust and plum red for your cushions and curtains. It will make your house look warm and welcoming.  Keep the holiday decorations simple and classic.  Go to Pottery Barn for some inspiration!
5. Check Your Heating System. While you invest in your house by painting its exterior, and picking suitable colors for its interior decoration, make sure to also invest in your house heating system. A charming house with an improper functioning heating system will not attract the buyer at all. When you start making your house ready to put up for sale, make sure to check your heating system and get maintenance if necessary. An overall pre-sale home inspection is always a good idea, and helps to avoid any surprises during the closing process.
6. Make it Inviting. Adding extra touches like light fragrances, a door wreath, and front porch decor to your house will make it look attractive and charming. So, go ahead and use your creativity, and make your home look like any buyer’s dream house!  

Take advantage of all the great reasons to sell your home in the Fall.  If you would like a complementary home valuation or ideas on how to make your home show best during the Fall, contact the Don Johnson Real Estate Team.

The Don Johnson Real Estate Team offers professional Home Staging Services to help your home show its best.  Serving Cary, Raleigh, Apex, Morrisville, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina and Chapel Hill, NC.