Autumn can be a great time to put your property on the market. People are back from holiday, the children are back in school and thoughts turn to Christmas or New Year celebrations in a new home.
Even though the prevailing winds might be in your favour, you still need to make your place stand out from the competition, so follow these handy tips to bag that autumn sale.
Bring in some autumnal decor
Summer is all about barbecues and cold drinks in the garden, whereas autumn moves indoors a little and involves hot drinks and blankets.
Make your interior look warm and welcoming by adding some seasonal accents in the shape of russet blankets and throws over your sofas and a spiced candle, as well as some pumpkins on your porch.
Get the light right
There’s no point artfully arranging those velvet cushions and chunky throws if viewers can’t see them! Autumn has fewer daylight hours than summer and so you need to factor this in.
If you don’t already have a few table lamps, invest in a few and put them in corners or dark spots to show off your rooms. You can go a bit brighter still in bathrooms and your kitchen, but it might be better to ditch the fluorescents and bring in natural daylight bulbs.
Nothing beats natural light, though, so try to arrange viewings for daylight hours and open your curtains as wide as possible to let in as many rays as you can.
Rake up fallen leaves
Although fallen leaves can be fun to kick through, they can obscure views of your lawn and block your gutters, so make sure you rake your front and back garden at least once a week.
It’s also a good idea to put garden furniture and toys into storage now, as they’ll just start to look sad and damp. If your flower beds are full of dead or dormant plants, tidy these up too – it’s about embracing the new season now.
Ventilate the property as much as possible
As the days get colder it’s tempting to keep the windows closed, but this can lead to a build up of condensation and a damp feeling, especially in your bathroom.
Open a window or two whenever possible, especially after cooking and showering, to prevent damp air accumulating and to freshen the place up.
Clean your carpets
This is good advice for any time of the year, but summer can be particularly rough on carpets, with extra feet trampling in and out over the long holidays, so a quick refresh won’t go amiss.
Turn up the heat – a bit
You’re aiming for a gentle warmth, but if you have a wood burner, spark it up just before a viewing. You want to show your burner or fireplace off, but not turn the place into a sauna!
If you don’t have a burner, you can still turn the central heating on so that people aren’t worried about moving into a draughty house.
