Close a deal before the holidays with these seasonal staging, pricing and negotiating tips By Shannon Petrie, FrontDoor.com
#1: Focus on curb appeal. Selling a home during the fall certainly comes with one advantage: The season’s beautiful foliage can automatically make your home more attractive for showings. However, you still need to do your part to keep your home looking its best. Start by sprucing up your lawn: Keep falling leaves at bay with frequent raking and patch up any brown spots in the grass.
As the trees shed their leaves, your home becomes more and more exposed, making its exterior appearance especially important. Chipped paint or dirty siding will be extra noticeable, so pressure-wash your home and repaint before showings if needed. Be sure to take care of fall-specific maintenance projects — like cleaning your gutters and downspouts — to show buyers that you’re serious about your home’s upkeep.
As a finishing touch, a few subtle fall decorations — like pumpkins, tri-colored corn or a wreath on the door — can give your home an inviting look.
#2: Appeal to the senses. As the weather cools down, make your home a warm, welcoming space where buyers will want to stick around. If you encourage them to stay awhile during showings, you give them more time to admire your home’s best features.
Nothing says fall like the pleasing aromas of apples and cinnamon. Before showing your home, burn a cinnamon-scented candle or simmer a pot of apple cider on the stove with a stick of cinnamon thrown in. If you opt for cider, leave it in a thermos with cups for buyers to enjoy. Brighten up your home by opening all the blinds to let in as much natural light as possible. Finally, emphasize comfort in your home with luxurious fabrics, like soft blankets, plush towels or a silky table cloth.
#3: Flaunt your fireplace. A warm, inviting fireplace is a great selling point as the weather gets cooler. Highlight this fall-friendly feature by arranging your furniture to make your fireplace a focal point. Place a mirror, artwork, vases or other tasteful decor on top of the mantel to make it even more prominent.
#4: Update your listing photos. If your home has been listed since spring or summer, update your online photos with brand new fall shots. Pictures from the previous season make your listing seem dated.
#5: Think like a buyer. Buyers have the mindset that fall sellers missed the boat and are desperate to unload their homes. After all, why didn’t you sell in the spring when buyers were out in full force? Fall house hunters are looking for bargains, so be prepared for lowball offers and non-serious buyers. Manage your expectations and negotiate accordingly, depending on your motivation. If you need to sell fast, be prepared to make counteroffers until you and the buyer find a price you can both live with.
#6: Hire a reliable real estate professional. As if selling your home isn’t stressful enough, you’re probably preparing for the holidays during the fall also, and possibly helping the kids ease into a new school year. During this hectic season, you definitely want a great real estate agent to take some of the pressure of selling your home off your shoulders. Ask your friends and family if they can recommend a listing agent who will go above and beyond to get your home sold.
#7: Price it right. While spring is the busiest season for real estate sales, fall usually sees a small surge of buyers trying to find a bargain before the holidays. If you want to grab the attention of these deal-seeking house hunters, you need to price your home competitively — possibly lower than comparable homes in your neighborhood. Setting your listing price just right could lead to a bidding war, resulting in a higher sales price for you. Work with your listing agent to price your home correctly.
#8: Watch your timing. Put your home on the market well in advance of looking for a new home. And don’t place an offer on your next home until you have solid offers on the one you have to sell now. The last thing you want to do is juggle two mortgage payments.
#9: Beware of TMI (too much information). Buyers think fall sellers are in dire straits, so don’t do anything to add to that perceived advantage and lower your potential selling price. For instance, if you are moving due to a job transfer, it’s best not to offer up that information — at the very least, downplay the urgency. If asked about your motivation to sell, simply saying you’re ready to trade up would suffice. While you are obligated to disclose everything about the property’s condition, you aren’t obligated to disclose your personal situation.
#10: Be flexible. While fall isn’t the hardest time to sell a home, it’s not the easiest either, so be willing to work with buyers to help your chances of making a quick sale. Offer to pay for closing costs or repairs, and be adaptable when it comes to showing your home and holding open houses. While preparing for the holidays can make fall a busy season, if you really need to sell, you need to accommodate buyers’ busy schedules as well. This might mean opening your home to strangers on weeknights and weekends.
October 12, 2010
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