Autumn can be a good time to make a move. The distractions of summer are over and people are spending more time indoors, meaning they may be considering upgrading where they’re going to spend the majority of their time once the snow falls.
If you’re thinking of listing your property this fall, there are a few simple strategies to get your home ready to help it sell faster, easier, and at the highest price possible.
The advantages of selling in the fall
While most homeowners think of spring as the ideal time to sell, fall is actually a great time to list your home. Just some of the benefits of selling in the fall include:
• Typically there are less listings compared to spring, which helps your home stand out;
• Late winter and early spring can be a mucky mess to get your home all spruced up, but late summer and early fall provide great opportunities; and
• More serious buyers who want to move in before the snow arrives, including people relocating for work or empty-nesters downsizing after their kids have left for school.
• Your home will benefit from broader exposure than in summer, when more people are spending their time at the beach rather than house-hunting.
To remain competitive, check out comparable homes in your neighbourhood before settling on a price, and make sure your home is ready to show at its best from day one. You want your home to shine the moment it hits the market.
Remember, not every seller will see the same level of interest from buyers, which makes realistic pricing an especially useful conversation to have with a REALTOR® before listing your home this fall.
Make a great first impression
Once you’ve decided to sell, work with your REALTOR® on a plan to get your home ready for buyers. A few things to focus on:
• Keep your front door as the focal point Your front door is the first thing that buyers see as they walk up to your home, so make sure it’s clean. Polish the doorknob, lubricate the hinges, and add a coat of paint if it needs a refresh.
• Finish the small fixes Replace old door knobs, repair that broken deck step, replace that broken toilet seat, fix the leak in the kitchen tap, or give a tired room a fresh coat of paint. The projects you’ve been putting off may be the first things buyers notice.
• Make the most of daylight Fall days get shorter, so wash your windows and screens to allow as much sunlight in as possible. Open all the blinds during showings, turn on all the lights, and add lamps to corners that feel dark.
• Keep seasonal décor simple A fall-themed wreath or a few warm-coloured accents can make your home feel inviting. However, you should always consult with your REALTOR® before doing any staging on your own because fall overkill can distract buyers or completely turn them off of your home.
Stay on top of cleaning and upkeep
It’s messier outside during the fall, so be sure to stay on top of your cleaning. If you have a showing or open house coming up, double check to make sure no one’s been tracking in any leaves or wet mud. Place a textured rug at the front door to capture any dirt clinging to shoes and boots.
Cooler weather means more outerwear. The last thing a buyer wants to see is a front hall closet overflowing with coats and boots. Only keep what you’re wearing at the front door, and use baskets or attractive totes to organize clutter.
A basket is also a great place to throw anything that might be cluttering up your floor if you have a showing on short notice. Carry it from room to room and toss in anything that’s causing a mess. Clutter contained to a single place is one visual element as opposed to many, which distract from a room’s spaciousness.
To cozy-up your rooms, swap out your lighter, brighter fabrics from summer with heavier ones like knits in fall colours. Replace your muslin blanket in the bedroom with a faux fur throw. Replace your sheers in the windows with velvet, which also helps block drafts. Add LED candles in every room for a warm glow, including in the bathrooms and on the kitchen island. Add a vase with a sprig of fall leaves for instant homey appeal.
To really maximize your curb appeal, don’t forget to consider what’s outside your home as well. Pull out any wilted flowers and dried up plants, and stay on top of all those leaves. Make it a habit to run your mower over your lawn at least once a week to suck up any debris and leaves that may have fallen, especially before a showing. Even if you don’t have time for that, at least sweep them from your driveway and front sidewalk. Keeping your walkways clear will also minimize the amount of debris that gets tracked into your home. Consider adding some decorative outdoor plants that stay beautiful well into the colder weather, like decorative pots of bright red or orange mums.
Of course, the last thing you want to discover on a cool autumn evening right before a buyer is coming to see your home, is that your furnace is on the fritz! Since we generally don’t use our furnaces in the summer, a fall listing can be a great occasion to have your HVAC system cleaned and inspected. This will also improve your home’s indoor air quality, helping it smell fresh when buyers visit.
Put the latest technology to work for you
Between virtual and 3D tours, 360-degree views, and remote showings, the technology associated with selling a home has come a long way. Your REALTOR® can help put those technologies to work for you.
Hopefully you were able to take some photos of your yard during the summer months when it showed at its best, but if your yard is neat and the grass trimmed, it will still look lovely this time of year. If you aren’t listing until winter or spring, ideally you want to showcase a few exterior summer shots in your online listing that don’t include snow, so buyers can easily see what they’re getting. A backyard bursting with colourful flowers and a deck hosting a table, chairs and patio umbrella looks completely different than a an expanse of featureless white snow.
While cell phones do take pretty great photos, your REALTOR® has access to professional photographers that will be able to take the most flattering photos of your property, both inside and out. Your REALTOR® likely even has access to drone photographers, so if you have a really impressive property with a backyard oasis or that backs onto a lake, they’ll be able to capture the entire scope of it from above.
Ask your REALTOR®
When in doubt, ask your REALTOR®. Because there may be fewer buyers in the fall compared to spring, it’s essential to stay on top of what’s happening in the market. This means having your REALTOR® do research on things like comparable listings in your area, tracking where your local housing market is headed, and understanding what buyers are looking for in a home right now. That’s why enlisting the help of a REALTOR® early on in the process is essential to your success.
The right strategy can change from one day to the next, but the most successful sellers are the ones who listen to what their REALTOR® is telling them about the market. Don’t get so stuck on a strategy, price or timing that you aren’t able to pivot to take advantage of opportunities that may look different than what you envisioned. This is where trusting your REALTOR® really comes into play.
In addition to tracking the latest market statistics and keeping you informed about any future interest rate changes, your REALTOR® can walk you through each step in pricing, listing and getting your home ready to sell, and help you sell your property quicker, with less stress, and at the best price possible.
Don’t have a REALTOR® yet and still want to sell this fall? What are you waiting for? Find a REALTOR® you can connect with today!
— REALTOR.ca