So, you’re trying to sell your house in the fall. Generally, people try to sell their homes quickly in the fall so they can move by the winter. There may be a lot of homes on the market during the fall, though. How are you going to make your home stand out from the others?
The key is to get to work sprucing up your home and making it sellable during the fall season. Here are some fall home ideas to help you sell your house, and how doing these things can help increase your home’s value and get your home sold faster.
Maintain the Essentials
One of the most important fall home ideas for selling your house is to do maintenance on the essential fixtures. These essential fixtures include the foundation, HVAC system, and plumbing. Remember, these fixtures were functioning all day over the summer. If you haven’t serviced them since before the summer weather hit, make sure you have them checked out during the fall.
Maintaining these fixtures is important for many reasons. For starters, these fixtures play big roles in the overall function of your home. If your foundation is cracked, your house could shift. The foundation could even cave in if the cracks are severe enough. If the plumbing is in bad shape, you risk pipes bursting and causing severe water damage throughout your home. If the HVAC system is broken, your heating will be faulty during the cooler months. Your air quality could also suffer since air circulation may be impacted.
If you notice these fixtures are broken, get them fixed as soon as you can. Look into foundation repair, plumbing repair, and HVAC repair. If you try to sell your home while it has structural damage, its value could decrease. Or, buyers could negotiate you repairing the structures into closing while still paying less than the asking price. Get the essential fixtures in your home repaired and maintained before you start getting offers.
Patch Up the Roof
As you repair the essential fixtures in your home, another fixture to maintain is the roof. Patching up your roof is one of those fall home ideas that will make your home look better and help it stay structurally sound. You may not notice damage to your roof in the summer, but you have to be diligent about checking for damage once fall arrives. Signs of damage include cracked or curled shingles and granules found in the gutters and driveway.
You have to patch up your roof once fall comes around. Fall weather is cooler, but winter weather brings snow and ice to certain regions. If a roof is damaged during the winter months, it could cause leaks, which can lead to water damage in the home. To prevent this from happening, get the roof fixed during the fall. Look into services that offer roof repair and do tile roofing so you can fix it up before prospects come around.
Clean Up the Exterior
Sometimes the simplest fall home ideas can have the biggest impact. Cleaning up the exterior of your home can boost your curb appeal and make potential buyers take a second look at your home. Typically, homeowners can get a 100% ROI on the money spent on a home’s curb appeal. If you want to sell your home before winter, prioritize cleaning up the exterior.
To start, wash your home’s exterior to get rid of all the dirt and grime that built up over the summer. Pressure washing vinyl siding can make a big difference for your home’s exterior. Once you’re done washing the exterior, you can work on fixing up your front yard. You can fill in any holes in the lawn, take out tree stumps, and trim overgrown branches. If you have a paved driveway, fill in cracks and holes if you can. If your front stairs aren’t in good shape, fix them up before potential buyers walk through the door. Your home’s exterior is its first impression to the world, so you want it to be the best it can be.
Paint Your House
Sometimes, the smallest detail of your home can convince a potential buyer to make an offer or move on. One of the simplest but most effective fall home ideas to sell your home is to paint your house a different color. The right color can attract the right buyer, especially in the fall when the leaves are changing. Some of the best colors for your home while you’re selling include off-white, light blue, gray, and wheat.
You can choose the color that works for your home’s aesthetic and style. Some style homes may look better with certain colors. If you aren’t sure which color would look best on your home’s exterior, you could download an app that allows you to see how your home would look with certain colors. That allows you to see what your options are without having to spend time painting your exterior over and over again.
Replace the Flooring
When thinking of fall home ideas that can help you sell your home, something to consider is replacing the floors. If your floors are scuffed, damaged, or even outdated, they can cause your home’s value to decrease. Replacing them before buyers walk through the door can be a good tactic for adding value to your home.
There are certain floors that can add more value to your home than others. For instance, hardwood floors add a lot of beauty to your home and can last a long time. Homes that have hardwood floors may be able to sell for more because of this. Installing hardwood floors can cost thousands of dollars, though. If you don’t have the money for real hardwood floors, you could install laminate flooring instead. Laminate floors are easier to install and are less expensive. You can get the look of hardwood floors without having to shell out a ton of money upfront.
If your home is carpeted or has rugs in it, make sure you spruce them up before potential buyers come into the picture. If they do a walkthrough of the home and notice the carpets and rugs are dirty, they may reconsider the home. If you have antique rugs that could use a good cleaning, look into antique rug restoration and cleaning services. You want every floor in your home to be in prime condition in the fall as buyers evaluate it.
Get New Appliances
Another tactic for selling your home during the fall is to get new appliances. Having an outdated stove, refrigerator, or washer and dryer could hurt your chances of getting your home at asking price. The buyers may see the outdated appliances as things they have to replace and could become discouraged from taking the next steps in the buying process.
If you have the budget for it, you can make it a priority to get new appliances this fall. Look at the appliances around your home and evaluate whether or not they need updating. If they function correctly but don’t look good cosmetically, see if there are cosmetic upgrades you can make. If they’re starting to near the end of their functionality, consider replacing them. If you don’t want to spend a ton of money on appliance replacements, you could shop during holiday sales or buy appliances at a secondhand store.
Spruce Up the Decor
When thinking of fall home ideas to sell your home, one tactic to keep in mind is sprucing up your home’s decor. Fall is a great time of the year to decorate your home. You can pick out a fall-themed color scheme and pick your decor from there. Your decor includes your curtains, canvas art made from screen printing, sofa sets, and plants.
Your decor says a lot about your home. It should reflect the way you want people to feel when they enter your house. Examples of decor styles include mid-century modern, bohemian, and rustic farmhouse. Each kind of decor style has its own feel to it. For instance, bohemian aims to capture the essence of an adventurous and care-free lifestyle, while rustic farmhouse has a more traditional design that can incorporate nature into the decor. Think about what you want your decor to say about you and your home, and then apply it throughout your home — from the rugs to the baby bedding. Once you figure it out, roll with the decor and own it through every showing.
Opt for Warm Themes
While you’re thinking of your decor, you should also think of warm themes to complement that decor. A warm theme will make your home feel warm and cozy during the fall. This is one of those fall home ideas that are subtle but can make a big difference. If your home has a warm theme, it could make potential buyers feel like they’re at home as soon as they walk through the door.
There are multiple ways to make your home feel warm. You can opt for warm colors such as creamy white, rich red, and mustard yellow. You can also use the lighting to make your home feel cozy, as well as calming scents. These efforts can make the right buyer want to jump at purchasing your home right away.
Host a Fall-Themed Open House
Open houses are your chances to show off your home to prospective buyers. If you want to make an impact, there are some fall home ideas you can do to help sell your home. One thing you could do is make your open houses fall-themed. If you get prospective buyers to feel cozy and comfortable in your home, they may be more tempted to purchase it. Utilizing the fall season to host a themed open house, when done correctly, can leave a unique impression on prospective buyers.
You can put fall-themed flowers around your home during the open house to create a beautiful and welcoming environment. You can get those flowers through florists in your area. You can also get fall-themed table toppers, welcome mats, and yard decor to complete the whole look. You can put pumpkins by your front door to add to the aesthetic. You can also choose to light fall-scented candles in your home to create an ambiance. If you don’t like candles, you can choose fall-themed air fresheners.
If you’re ordering special fall-themed decor for your open house, you must keep in mind that shipping may be delayed due to current coronavirus restrictions. Flower deliveries may be different than they were before too, so if you’re ordering flowers for your open house make sure you know when they’ll get to your home. You don’t want them to arrive after your open house, so get a firm delivery date for them.
Make Sure You’re Ready to Move
One of the most important things to keep in mind when trying to sell your house in the fall is that you have to be ready to move once your house is sold. Have your move out plans squared away so you can move out in a reasonable timeframe. If you’re buying a new home, be sure you have your finances in order, whether it’s getting a loan from a bank or through a hard money lender.
If you need movers, hire them in advance. If you need a storage unit, get it in advance. If you need to move a loved one into senior housing, have everything taken care of before the move-in date.
It can be easy to get swept up in the selling process, but you have to make sure you have everything squared away on your end, too. Take the time to make the appropriate moving plans so there are no hiccups down the road.
There are a lot of fall home ideas you can utilize to sell your house. Keep your home well maintained, make some upgrades where you can, and add some fall-themed decor to help create a warm and cozy ambiance. If the process seems stressful, remember to take a step back and breathe. Your efforts will pay off once you sell your home and move on to the next chapter.
