When selling your home, staging is always critical, no matter what time of year it is on the market. You want to make your house as inviting as possible, so that potential homebuyers can imagine themselves living there. While there are general tips, such as applying a fresh coat of paint to the walls, that apply year-round, there are certain things unique to fall that can affect how you stage your home.
As the days get shorter and the leaves start to change, here are some staging tips for getting your home ready to put on the market this fall.
Up Your Curb Appeal
Maintaining the curb appeal of your house is essential for any time of the year, but it might seem a bit trickier during the fall months. Keep your yard looking neat and fresh by raking leaves regularly and patching up brown and yellow spots in your grass. Power-wash the siding of your house now, since it will be harder to clean it during the winter months. To add a splash of color, plant a pot of mums, hang a seasonal wreath or set out a few pumpkins.
Remember Comfort is Key
The fall months can get chilly quickly, so make your home look as warm and comfortable as possible to increase appeal to potential homebuyers. Adding pillows and throws to your sofas and chairs is one way to make the living areas look more comfortable, while replacing old comforters and quilts with newer ones can have the same effect on the bedrooms. If you have a fireplace, light a fire to make the space warm on those colder days, or just place firewood in or beside it, so that potential homebuyers can imagine relaxing by the fire. Lighting some seasonal candles can give the house a nice smell that reminds prospective buyers of their favorite fall activities; even just placing cinnamon sticks around the house can give it a pleasant aroma.
Get the Perfect Lighting
As the days start to shorten, it is important that your house is well-lit. In general, use as much natural light as possible, especially during the afternoon and at sunset. Make sure there are plenty of lamps and other light fixtures in each room for times when the natural light is not enough, and use warm-colored light bulbs in them. If you are showing your house in the evening, light up the pathways and driveways so they are easily navigable. Good lighting not only makes your house look more spacious and bright to potential homebuyers, it also gives it a warmer, inviting feeling that will make them feel more at home.
Keep Fall Highlights to a Minimum
Fall can be an exciting time with the holidays and school starting again, and it can be easy to let those things take over your home. While Halloween and Thanksgiving are both enjoyable, holiday decorations can overwhelm your home—you want your potential homebuyers to remember your home, not your decorations. Instead of traditional decorations, get into the holiday spirit by scattering natural items, like pine cones, gourds and fall flowers, throughout your home. Back-to-school clutter can also impede on a home, so give your kids a defined space that is out of the way and hidden, but still accessible, for them to store their school supplies. Not only will it keep your home cleaner, it also will make it less personalized, so potential homebuyers can more easily imagine themselves living there.
While there are many things to keep in mind when placing your home on the market in the fall, these tips can help you make your house more appealing to even the pickiest of homebuyers.