Right After Labor Day there is a great season we realtors call the Fall Rally, which lasts up until about Thanksgiving.
It is the time when lots of homes go on the market after what is usually a slow August. Given our incredible low inventory, even though more will be available for sale, it will still be a phenomenal time to sell! This is a time when sexy, not kid friendly homes do very well as most people with kids will want to close on a home in time to be set and ready to go for the school year.
When getting your home ready for sale at this time of year, take into account that although we are moving towards fall, in our area (and especially in recent years) this can actually be a time of very hot weather and plan accordingly for your yards to be watered well, for plants in pots to be succulents and things that are heat and drought resistant. Large grasses take up loads of space, look pretty and are very tough to kill, so they are good choices to fill in spots in your garden that are looking sparse. Make sure you check your air conditioner (if you have one) is functional, so that on open house days they can be run if the temperature is high.
Take into consideration that we tend to have a lot of deciduous trees in our area, so it is really good to make sure there is a rake on premises, and a broom inside so that any leaves that drop can be handily disposed of. I can assure you that a realtor will be happy to rake or sweep leaves away if they have the tools to do it with.
It is a great time to get your gutters cleaned, and to power wash the house, and walkways, and in general make your curb appeal as terrific as possible.
We are expecting the fall rally to be very good this year, and even though interest rates may take yet another hike, they do not seem to be deterring people from purchasing.
What will deter people from purchasing is if the chores associated with home ownership are obvious and in their faces- so making sure the house is clean, windows professionally cleaned, no moss or defects on roofs, a good paint job, and steam cleaning grout in tiled areas is important. It is also very important to make sure any obvious repairs have been done. The buyers that are out there have a fair amount of money, but they do not have time- so anything that looks like it is going to take time to address will turn them off of the property.
Take a walk around your own property and pretend you are a buyer. Take your own emotions out of the equation, and try to look objectively at the house- are the downspouts in good shape? The concrete on the driveway? Is there a huge tree limb hanging over the roof? Is there earth to wood contact around your foundation perimeter? How are the skylights- is there any evidence of leaking? How is the concrete in the patio? Does the exterior or interior paint look tired? How is the porch? Does the front door look good? These are first impressions. Sometimes just replacing an old mailbox can make a world of difference. A good realtor will be able to catch what needs to be done and help you, but taking the time to do some of the more simple repairs and prep yourself can save you money, and also make the process much easier. Consult with your realtor about colors for the house though, because colors go "in" and "out" and you want to be on the cutting edge of what the buyers like.
