Staging Your Home For Fall

Copyright © Kristin Marie Enns-Kavanagh,
used with Creative Commons

Success in staging and selling a home is all about the details. If your home has lingered on the market through the summer, this is a great opportunity to freshen up how you and your realtor market your home. If you are just putting your home on the market, no is the time to take advantage of seasonal cleaning and sprucing to make your home shine and hopefully sell fast.

• Fall cleaning is just as important as spring cleaning. Clear out the gutters, hose off and store seasonal patio furniture, clean up your storm windows so they will be ready to trade out for screens when it gets truly chilly, clean or replace HVAC vents, air out the house, and get your chimneys and fireplaces inspected if you have them.

• Maintain your yard. This is the best time of year to reseed your yard for spring. You'll also want to take out dead and dying perennials and replace them with fall flowers like pansies and asters. Get your rakes ready, as you won't want to get behind on leaf duty with showings and open houses on the horizon.

• Take new pictures. If the photos of your home are outdated and show a different season, with snow on the ground or are obviously at the height of summer, you need new photos. Potential buyers will pick up on those subtle signs that your house has been on the market for a while, and it may subconsciously suggest that your home is undesirable. What better time to take fresh shots than right after you have finished your fall cleaning and your home looks its best inside and out?

• Contemplate lighting. The sun is lower in the sky, and sets sooner. Natural light is on the top of most buyers' must-have lists, and dark rooms simply don't show off a home's features as well as those splashed with light. Overhead lighting can be either harsh or too dim, and rarely feels as warm and friendly. Contemplate your home's lighting throughout the day so that you are prepared for showings at a variety of times. Don't be afraid to purchase a new lamps, lighter curtains, or invest in lightbulbs that mimic sunlight, rather than basic incandescents or fluorescents.

• Fill your home with the scents and sights of the season. While you should always think in terms of reducing clutter when it comes to staging, light and secular seasonal touches like a centerpiece of gourds, a pumpkin spice candle, or a pie in the oven are simple touches that can create a feeling of inviting homey nostalgia and comfort.