The seasons are turning chillier once again, where our mornings are a little colder and the evenings are getting darker sooner – a beautiful time of year to relish the changing colours of nature and for sellers to start getting their homes ready for viewings. 

The weather will change, the temperatures will drop, and prospective buyers’ expectations are that they will have a cosy, warm home to live in over the colder months as autumn turns to winter.

Spring might be widely considered the best time to put a property up for sale, but autumn also provides its own advantages to find the ideal buyer, as many people will be on the lookout for a new property to move into before the rush of winter and Christmas.

If your time in your home has come to an end and you are looking to get it sold, there are a few things you can do to prepare it for an autumn viewing.

Below, we set out some top tips.

Utilise outdoor space

Autumn is known for being the season that’s full of colour. If your property has a garden or any outdoor space, even if it’s just a small balcony, prepare it for the season and get it in top-notch condition for buyers viewing the property.

It’s good to familiarise yourself with autumn plants that will last through winter. In particular, chrysanthemums, pansies and heathers will help inject some colour into your outdoor space which will immediately be more eye-catching and appealing to prospective buyers. It’s important, even during autumn – where people are likely to start spend less time outside in their garden – to keep it well-maintained and in good shape, as garden space doesn’t become less important just because the weather is colder.

Warm welcoming

A house needs to feel like a home, and although everyone has their own personal preferences of what they like to feature in a home, it would be a good idea to make some minor additions to make your home feel comfortable and inviting.

Opt for lighting some scented candles with an autumn theme, such as cinnamon or pumpkin spice. This will amplify the ambience in the home while providing some well-placed lighting in certain areas which may be dim as the nights draw in.

Be flexible with viewings

Since your viewings will be taking place in autumn, you’ll have times where the prospective buyer might have to come for a viewing when it’s getting dark, or nighttime already.

To this end, flexibility with viewing hours is recommended in order to accommodate those interested in your home, but who don’t have the ability to come for a viewing throughout the day.

This doesn’t mean you need to accommodate viewings at 7am or 11pm, but being flexible will help your cause no end. If you happen to hold a viewing on a crisp, beautiful autumnal day, use this to your advantage.

Seasonal photos

When you market your home on the portals or your agent’s website, it’s important that you use season-specific photos. So, for autumn, images that show off the warmth and cosiness of your home, or one showing the vibrant colours of your garden, could do wonders for your sales pitch.

At the same time, images of the BBQ area may take on less importance.   

Final thoughts

So, there we have it – a go-to list for getting your property into mint condition for autumn viewings. The viewing stage is, generally, one of the biggest challenges and when people are visiting your home, they not only get a feel for the home, but for the homeowner too.

As a top estate agent operating across Essex and East London, here at Ideal Locations we can help you to get the most out of your sale. For more information on our current operations, please contact us today.

We also offer a free online valuation to give you an estimate on how much your home could be worth on the current market.