How to Enhance Your Home for a Fall Sale

Autumn is a terrific time of year to sell a home. The glorious display of color that Mother Nature puts on is sure to make any home more appealing. The foliage as well as the cool, crisp air often sends folks out on Sunday afternoon drives. Now is the time to make sure your home is decked out in all its splendor for potential buyers.

Curb appeal is especially important at this time of year, so make sure your yard and the front of your house are sending a good impression. Make sure shrubs are trimmed, leaves are raked, and walkways are free of debris. Add a festive wreath to the door and some pumpkins to the stoop to draw the eye to the home. Here in the Northeast the foliage will give you an added bonus by decking out your yard in the glorious colors of fall.  Remember, as the leaves continue to fall your home will be more exposed. Make sure the house paint isn’t cracking and thedo orways are fully intact.

It is important that you have a doormat down for those rainy fall days when walking on wet leaves can be treacherous. Make sure any overhanging tree limbs are firmly attached so that neither you nor a guest ends up injured by falling tree branches.

If a buyer has entered the home, make sure there is a fire in the fireplace if it is a cool day, and have the thermostat set to take the chill out of the air. The smell of apple pie laced with cinnamon or pumpkin muffins cooking will spark pleasant memories in anyone crossing the threshold. Smell memory is the strongest in the human body so make sure you use that to your advantage by making your home pleasantly odiferous.

You also want to make sure your home is decorated for the season. A cornucopia centerpiece is ideal at this time of year as it signifies bounty and family gatherings. Some may be turned off by ghosts and goblins hanging from the chandelier as they tour the home so keep that in mind. The goal  is not to scare off the potential home buyer but to enhance the visual appeal of the inside of the home. Things that make scary noises upon entry are a turn off for many.

There is true appeal in a cozy home. If buyers walk in and smell cinnamon and apple cider and see fleece blankets, soft fabrics and other cozy items they will stay longer. Offer the apple cider in small cups for the enjoyment of the potential buyer. Make sure to leave the blinds open if it is a sunny day to enhance the beauty the natural light lends to your favorite sun soaked room.

Finally, with the change of seasons, now is a great time to update your listing photos and flaunt things like a fireplace or a cozy kitchen. If you pay attention to all of these details, at the end of the day, a buyer will be happy to call your house their new home.