Autumn is a great time to sell your home! There are fewer homes on the market (i.e., less competition), and the cooler months offer the perfect opportunity to stage your house as a great place to snuggle up and get cozy for the winter. Use our home staging tips for fall to help you get an offer on your house before the new year!
1. Minimize holiday decor
Keep holiday decor to a minimum — or just avoid it altogether. You want buyers to focus on your great front porch and the high ceilings of your entryway–not a pumpkin patch yard full of hay and scarecrows or a plethora of Halloween tchotchkes. After your listing photos have been taken, you can add a few pumpkins or a simple vase of fall foliage to add a touch of autumn without being overwhelming. **Don’t leave anything seasonal in your photos. This is basically a time stamp that will let buyers know exactly how long you’ve been on the market — do you really want pumpkin pics up if your house is still on the market in December?**
Beautiful, right? BUT…if this were a listing photo, how would you feel if you saw it in January? You might wonder what’s keeping this house from selling!
2. Create curb appeal.
Buyers can’t appreciate what they can’t see so rake up the leaves and trim summer overgrowth. Clean out gutters and power wash siding and driveways. Add flowers that thrive in colder weather, like mums and goldenrods, for a gorgeous pop of seasonal color.
3. Make it cozy.
Create a warm, relaxed atmosphere that encourages homebuyers to stick around and see the house. Emphasize your comfy living room with plush throw pillows and luxurious throws. Use a warmer color palette (reds, golds, browns) as accent colors throughout the house. For specific recommendations, check out our blog post on fall home decor trends we love!
4. Brighten up!
As winter approaches, the days get shorter and ample lighting is key to emphasizing your home’s best features. Open all the blinds and curtains and turn on all the lights before any showings. Add table lamps and accent lighting to help rooms look larger and more inviting.
5. Feature the fireplace.
Accentuate this fabulous cool weather feature by making it a focal point with your furniture arrangement or by adding beautiful decor or artwork to the mantel. Use fire with extreme caution. You can simply “set the scene” without actually burning logs and never light candles before leaving the house for a showing–that’s an accident waiting to happen.
6. Capture the fragrance of fall.
We don’t typically recommend strong fragrances for home staging (since you don’t want to alienate any buyers who may have an aversion to a particular smell). With the approach of cold weather, though, certain scents are especially good at evoking an emotional connection in buyers. A subtle cinnamon or vanilla in moderation is probably a safe bet (no complex fragrance combinations). Remember that these scents can also be overwhelming in excess. Take a look at our recipes for autumn-inspired simmering potpourris, a simple and inexpensive way to add gentle, natural fragrance to your home.
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