Tips for Selling Your Home in the Fall and Winter

Spring and summer are known to be the prime time for buying and selling real estate.  With fall quickly approaching, many sellers are worried about whether they should consider selling during the fall and winter or just wait until spring.  The good news: it isn’t impossible to sell your home during fall and winter. Real estate is bought and sold 365 days a year!  There is always someone out there needing to buy a home during this time.  There are things you can do a lot to help your home feel welcoming and bright to a potential buyer during these slower months and make your home stand out for potential buyers.  Check out these tips for selling your home in the fall and winter:

Home Selling Tip #1: Price It Right

Should you decide to sell your home in the fall, the first thing you need to do is analyze the current state of your local real estate market.  A professional real estate agent can help with this, if you don’t know how.  There are many things that need to be considered in the analysis of your market, most importantly is the type of market your area is experiencing.  Are you in a buyer’s market, seller’s market, or a balanced market?

Home Selling Tip #2: Provide a “Year-Round” Tour

It can be helpful to showcase what your home has to offer by giving potential buyers the opportunity to see the home during other seasons of the year.  Make a photo album or have additional photos listed on the MLS of the exterior of your home from every season.  Highlight garden beds, and patios or decks with furniture so the buyer can envision the home throughout the year. Include photos of your home from the spring when everything is nice and green and fresh.

Home Selling Tip #3: Use Curb Appeal to Enhance the Outdoor Experience

Leaf- (and snow- for those that live in colder climates) covered sidewalks can make a perfectly kept home look sloppy and poorly maintained.  Clear leaves, branches, and outdoor dirt using a leaf blower from walkways daily and do your best to keep the yard clear of leaves, as well.

Home Selling Tip #4: Brighten Your Home

Open those blinds and curtains and let the sun shine!  Minimal window coverage will make windows look bigger, and it’ll encourage daylight to flow into your space.  Experiment with different lightbulbs to find the most flattering hues for your space.  Bathrooms look great with daylight bulbs and living spaces (bedrooms and living rooms) look best with soft white bulbs.  Go for cozy and bright.  If you’re upgrading bulbs in hard-wired fixtures, consider going all LED, they are brighter, last longer and save money in the long run.  Let buyers know you’re leaving the bulbs for them.

Home Selling Tip #5: Don’t Neglect Basic Home Maintenance

Staying on top of basic maintenance will go a long way when it comes time to sell your home.  On cooler days, draft windows are more noticeable, so be sure to check window seals and doors and ensure seals and insulation around windows and doors are intact.  Have the furnace or boiler serviced by a licensed professional before putting your house on the market.  Buyers will want to make sure the systems are in good shape on cold days.  Ask service professionals leave a sticker or magnet marking the date of the last inspection to add peace of mind for buyers.  Change out dirty air filters to help reduce any odors or fall allergens in the home.

Home Selling Tip #6: Embrace the Fall Season

Interior decorating and staging can make a huge impact when selling a home.  In most cases it can help expedite the sale of your home, but it is also important to understand it’s not usually the primary reason a home sells, price is a huge factor.  If you decide to sell your home during the fall, there are many ways to embrace the fall season.  During the fall season you have some very popular holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving.  Help potential buyers envision themselves in your home during the holidays by getting your home decorated for the upcoming holiday.

Fall can be a great time to sell a home.  It’s not for everyone but following the above tips for selling a home during the fall can help expedite the sale of your home and maximize the sale price!  If you’re thinking of selling your home in the fall, contact TCP Real Estate.