Staging Tips To Sell A Home in the Fall

Fall is a great time of year nationwide for sellers to consider listing a home and getting it picture-perfect ready for prospective buyers who may need to move before the holidays. The air is crisp, leaves are changing, the autumn colors are gorgeous and vibrant, and pumpkin, cinnamon, and apple smells are plentiful throughout the season.

Because many people love the fall season, incorporating the sights, smells, and feelings associated with autumn into your home staging can appeal to buyers. Below we’re sharing a few fall home staging ideas you can use to appeal to home buyers viewing listings online and to instantly drive buyer traffic to go view in person or bid sight unseen especially during these unusual times.

Fall Home Staging Ideas

 

Use Warm Colors

Every season has a color palette and fall is no different. From rich reds to golden yellows and muted greens to creamy caramels, these colors scream fall. There are so many ways you can spread these colors throughout your home to create a cohesive look and feel.

• Give your walls a fresh coat of paint – When getting your home ready to go on the market, you typically touch up wall paint. Instead of just touching it up, try giving the room a cozy look and feel with a fall color on the wall. A muted color like caramel or cream or a bold color like sage green can spice up the walls and breathe life into the room.
• Use warm-colored accents – Painting the walls can be a big undertaking and if it’s not something you have time to do, you can also leverage accents to bring in the fall hues. Items like pillows, blankets, runners and rugs, or flowers are great ways to give your home a fall look.
• Know your autumn color palette – Before you start painting and decorating, know the color palette you want to work with. There are so many gorgeous fall color schemes and you want to make sure the shades you choose all flow together. Not sure what hues go well together? Take a look at Pinterest, House Beautiful, and Elle Decor for some inspiration.

Let There Be Light

As we move into the fall and winter months, we begin to lose the number of daylight hours available. This means if people are coming to view your home after work, they may not be able to see how much natural light comes through the windows. To help buyers truly see your home, make sure you have enough light to show off the space.

Things you can do to do prevent dark spaces:

Position lamps in appropriate spaces and have them turned on

• Use higher watt light bulbs
• Brighten up spaces naturally with accent colors
• Keep blinds and curtains open

Spread Fall Cheer with Cozy Accents

When people think of Fall, they typically think of cozy sweaters, puffer vests, blanket scarfs, boots, and other items that keep you toasty warm. The idea of cozy and warmth is another approach you can take when staging your home.

For example, most people keep a blanket of some kind in their living room. Instead of just any blanket, swap it out for a fall-inspired, chunky knit blanket. Chunky blankets are chic, thick, and oversized – perfect for using on a chill, Fall day while watching a House Hunters marathon.

What other cozy accents can you use to inspire the same cozy feelings?

• Candles, particularly those that have a fall-themed scent
• Knit pillows
• Plants and/or mums
• Firewood if you have a wood-burning fireplace
• Wreaths

Appeal to the Senses

When you think about the seasons, you typically think about them using one of your five senses. Whether that’s seeing snow in winter (sight), feeling the cold snow (touch), or listening to snowfall (sound), your senses help your brain paint a full picture of what you’re experiencing.

You can actually take the same approach to your home staging too. Similar to strategically placing chunky knit blankets in your living room to inspire warmth, you can use the senses to envelop someone in fall as they’re touring your home.

• Sight and Touch – While you don’t want to go overboard with your fall decorations (you want your home’s natural beauty to shine), you can still place wreaths, candles, blankets, etc. to visually show fall throughout your space. Cozy, warm accents also resonate with your sense of touch, as you probably won’t even realize your hand skimming a blanket or pillow as you walk by.
• Smell and Taste – You’ve probably read the trick about baking cookies before a home showing to give off that cookie, homey smell to prospective buyers. Instead of baking cookies, burn candles with fall scents, like pumpkin spice, apple cider, caramel candy, fall leaves, and cinnamon bun. Fall smells are popular because they’re typically food-related which can also appeal to your taste buds.

Give Your Curb Appeal a Fall Boost

When prospective buyers first arrive at your house, their first impression is your home’s exterior. Curb appeal definitely plays a role in whether someone is excited or tentative to see the inside. A well-maintained, manicured, and decorated exterior, including your porch, can do wonders when it comes to engaging people before they even step outside their cars.

To give your curb appeal a fall boost, try the following:

• Place mums (or other fall greenery) on your porch steps
• Add a welcome mat outside the front door
• Hang a fall wreath
• Paint your front door an autumn-inspired color
• Rake leaves
• Keep walkways and sidewalks clear of rakes and other debris
• Store kids’ bikes and toys

As we move into fall and winter, the exterior of your home can be hard to keep vibrant. Obviously blooming trees and plants are visually appealing, however, with a little extra care and attention, you can transform a bare front yard and create engagement and excitement.