Ways to Make Your Home Stand Out in the Fall
How to sell a home in the fall is often one of the questions I get as a real estate agent, usually toward the end of the summer. Most of the time, sellers want to know what to expect.
What will the real estate market be like? What is the likelihood my home will sell in the fall?
From experience as a Realtor for the past three decades, Fall is an excellent time to sell your home.
While springtime may be the most popular season to put a house up on the market, there is no reason to wait if you want to sell when autumn rolls around.
People are ready to buy homes anytime, especially if you know how to prepare the property to sell.
Fewer homes will likely be on the market during this time of year, meaning a well-positioned house can sell fast if you draw in the right buyer.
Most people have an aversion to moving when the weather is stormy and cold, so the fall is your last chance to accommodate customers before winter.
For many people, the fall season is one of their favorite times due to the crisp air and the leaves colorful changes on the trees. For these reasons, autumn is a time of year not to disregard when deciding whether to sell.
Quite often, homeowners selling in the fall ask how they can sell their homes quickly. They do so because a more challenging winter season is approaching.
Keep reading to see how you can sell your home in the fall with these great tips!
Keep The Exterior Clean
One of the best tips for selling a home in the fall is to keep the yard looking awesome! When selling a home, a common buzzword is “curb appeal.” No matter what season you sell a home, curb appeal is imperative.
One of the challenges you will face during the fall is the die-off of various plants around your house. Some will be going into hibernation, and some willfully expire. Either way, this will leave a mess on your property that needs to be cleaned up if you want to attract buyers. The exterior is the first thing people see when looking at a home.
Depending on your selling time, your landscape may produce a noticeable amount of dead and decaying plant matter.
These dead items include leaves that fall from the trees, flowers that die in the first cold snap, and plants that wither as the year advances noticeably.
You need to clean all of this up and discard it before you show the house. Keeping up with your yard is an ongoing process in the fall, so stay on top to keep your home looking good and avoid having it associated with decay.
Buyers still want to see your lawn; this is impossible if it is completely covered with leaves. Use some excellent home staging tips to prepare your interior and exterior for the market.
Ensure any mold and mildew are kept to a minimum on your deck and siding. Buyers will still be looking over these areas with a keen eye. The fall is the perfect time of year to pick up plants and shrubs at a local nursery.
There are often some excellent deals as the nurseries prepare to shut down for the winter. You can use this opportunity to pick up some beautiful seasonal plantings to highlight your entryway.
Paying attention to your yard is a critical fall home selling tip!
Embrace The Fall Selling Season
There are certain advantages to selling during the fall. People have many holidays to look forward to, including Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas come wintertime.
Depending on when you show your house, you can use the association’s buyer’s feel with these select dates.
Keep your decorations and the general feel of your house in tune with the upcoming holiday. Fall staging can be helpful to set the tone. Like businesses and retail stores, you can invoke the holiday feeling for potential buyers.
They can then see themselves and their families enjoying the same holidays in your home.
Of course, it is possible to overdo this. You don’t want to seem ridiculous. However, everyone can appreciate silly monsters for Halloween and the smell of fresh-baked pies on Thanksgiving.
You may achieve a sale without trying if you hit the right note.
Last year, I worked with a client selling a home in Franklin, Massachusetts. She did an impeccable job of adding decor to her house that complemented the fall season. So many buyers commented on how well the home was staged. Some people have a knack for this. For some customers, the little touches like this go a long way.
Priced Accordingly
One of the most essential tips to sell your home in the fall is to price it correctly! Work with your real estate agent to set the right price for your home – one that considers the season you are selling in.
Some people claim that a house must be priced lower in off-seasons like fall and winter to sell, but this is not necessarily true.
A home must be priced to compete in the current market, whatever that happens to be at the time.
Your listing agent can pull comparable prices for your property and advise you on the right price for your home. Just do your best to listen to their advice because the last thing you want to do is price your home too high.
If you are in an area where homes sell for a bargain during the fall, putting your home up at a noticeably higher price than similar homes is a sure way to push away buyers.
The longer it sits on the market, the more of a stigma it will get, making it even harder to sell. It is far better to price it right first and get the best offer possible.
Days on the market can accumulate fast in slower times of the year. When you are not in the top-selling season and heading into an even slower time (winter), it makes sense to be smart about the right asking price for your home.
When the market is slower, you may consider offering a seller assist as a closing cost credit. Others like to provide an incentive like paying for a home warranty for the year. From experience as a Realtor, buyers love these kinds of perks. They can make a difference in closing a sale.
Get Serious About Selling in The Fall
Autumn and winter are not times to mess around when you are selling. The temperatures are dropping, the holidays are coming, and buyers are motivated to close now. Getting your home under contract now can work to your advantage as long as you intend to sell.
You might get a slightly higher price if you listed right as spring rolled into summer – when temperatures are perfect and everyone feels great. But there is a reason you are selling in the fall. You have a house to sell, and it is time to get there.
The Right Real Estate Agent Matters
Pick a real estate agent you like working with with a solid record of selling houses year-round at prices near what they list them for the first time. Pick a Realtor with a good reputation by talking to references who have recently worked with them.
Ask hard real estate interview questions about real numbers. One of the homeowners’ most significant mistakes is not taking the interview process seriously.
While working with someone you like is essential, personality does not sell homes! Once you have the facts, choose someone you feel you can work with and carefully follow their advice.
Make Sure The House is Ready For The Fall Market
Your Realtor will look over the house and give you a list of options for repairs or improvements you can make. Please work with your agent to decide which ones are most important and get them done.
Buyers will appreciate energy efficiency, sound insulation, and new flooring, especially when the weather is colder.
Consumers want a great house to move into – something you can create with a few repairs and renovations. It is also worth considering that fixer-uppers are less appealing when the weather is cold.
Offer a complete package from the outset, and you may have better luck pulling in buyers. Showing the buyer how well you have maintained the home is always a plus.
Knowing what not to fix is essential because you don’t want to waste money on things that don’t make a difference or have good ROI.
If you have a lot of clutter, remove it before listing your home for sale. Doing so can be accomplished in one of three ways. You could rent from a storage facility, get an onsite moving and storage container, or do a donation pickup. Donating to charity is one of my favorites because you are helping a family in need.
You could do a combination of these as well. The point is getting your home where buyers can walk in and freely picture themselves living there.
Remember Fall Means Daylight Savings Time
Remember that the days get shorter in the fall selling season regarding natural light. Plenty of buyers will want to look at homes when they get out of work. Often, when customers want to look, it will have already become dark outside.
A wise fall home-selling tip is to leave adequate lighting in your home. The presentation is everything when selling real estate, so you don’t want a buyer walking into an unlit, dark house.
Turn on an abundance of lights both inside and out. Make sure your walkways and any exterior entertainment areas are well-lit.
Be Prepared For Fall Moving
When you have followed some of the best advice for selling a home, your property will probably go under contract relatively quickly. At this point, it is effortless for the stress to build if you start worrying about your impending move.
There is no question that one of the worst parts of selling a home is the actual move. For this reason, I have put some of the best moving advice together to help ease the burden of your relocation. One of the worst parts of moving is the preparation for the big day. When you are well prepared, some stress will be relieved beforehand.
In many instances, you will need a temporary storage facility for your possessions if you will not be heading straight to your final destination after selling. Use these compilations of tips for choosing the suitable storage facility for your needs.
You will also want to have a professional mover lined up, or if you plan on a do-it-yourself move, rent your moving truck.
Final Thoughts on Fall House Selling
These are all intelligent tips to sell a home in the fall. Follow these suggestions, and you will be primed to get your property under contract before the winter selling season arrives!
When it is a buyer’s market and homes are languishing, some folks turn to unconventional home-selling methods. If all else fails, you may want to try burying a St. Joseph statue. Many people of faith swear by its success.
Of course, little else will matter if you don’t have the solid groundwork laid, like proper pricing and an excellent agent. If you have found you’re lucking in some areas, make adjustments now.
Following sound advice will put you on the right track to get your home sold before the first snow flies. Best of luck!
Additional Resources on How to Sell Your Home In The Fall
- Home staging tips for the fall selling season – get additional intelligent advice on how to sell your home in the fall by Front Door.
Use these additional resources to find even more tips to help sell your home in the fall.
About the Author: The above Real Estate information about tips for selling a house in the fall was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill has expertise in mortgages, financing, moving, home improvement, and general real estate.
Learn more about Bill Gassett and the publications he has been featured in. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-625-0191. Bill has helped people move in and out of Metrowest towns for the last 37+ years.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I am passionate about real estate and love sharing my marketing expertise!
I service Real Estate Sales in the following Metrowest MA towns: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton, and Uxbridge MA.
