4 Tips for Selling Your House in the Fall

While spring is commonly known as the peak real estate season, that doesn’t mean you can’t sell and make a profit during the market’s “offseason.” If you are considering listing your home this fall, here are four tips to get your home open-house ready!

Look for Red Flags

Any red flags that pop up during a home inspection can give the buyer more leverage to lower their offer price, so stay on top of handling these problems before listing your house. Be sure to address any major issues with water damage, roof repairs, or HVAC system problems to get the best price for your home. You can proactively cover all your bases by checking out this list of the most common issues discovered during home inspections.

Perform Some Basic Maintenance

The colder fall months can reveal house flaws that might be visible to potential buyers during a showing. With a few easy DIY tips, you can handle these issues on your own. Caulking and weatherstripping are two of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to reduce leaks and drafts due to small cracks and gaps around window and door frames. Touching up paint and applying some fresh caulking in the bathrooms and kitchen will also make a big difference. Additionally, replacing your air filters will ensure you don’t push stale smells or excessive dust throughout the house.

Clean Up Outside

While curb appeal is always important when listing your home, it’s even more crucial in the fall. Some of the most important fall clean-up tasks that should be completed when selling a home include raking leaves, picking up sticks, weeding flower beds, trimming shrubs, aerating the lawn and cleaning the gutters.

Keep Your Décor Minimal

If you decide to sell your home during the fall, you can still embrace the fall season with some expert decorating and staging tips.  With popular holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving, it’s good to decorate your home as it helps potential buyers envision themselves there during these holidays. However, it is best to keep your décor minimal without going overboard. Be tactful with your decorating and let your home shine to prospective buyers!

Thinking about making a move this fall? Contact one of our mortgage professionals today to get started!