4 Fall Home Selling Fails

Schools in, Labor Day is over, and autumn and the holidays are approaching but that does not mean the world of real estate comes to a standstill.  You may need to get your home sold during the fall but now selling in the fall is a strange beast.  Here are 4 home selling missteps you should not be caught making as we transition from summer to fall.

Fail #1: Confusing a Lack of Foot Traffic with a Lack of Interest

As the days get shorter and there is more holiday hoopla, you may notice that there are less and less visitors to your home.  Do not take this personal!  If you have made your home a beauty queen (like I mentioned is this previous post), then you can still generate buzz about your abode.  One way is to ask your Agent+ to feature high-quality virtual showings with such technologies as Matterport (which provides a similar 3-D experience as Google Street View except it is inside a real estate property).  Matterport allows interested homebuyers to get a realistic feel for your house by walking around corners, looking at floors and ceilings, and the like from the comfort of their own home. That is a win-win!


Fail #2: Planning Open Houses During Game Time

Are you ready for some football?  Well, even if you are not a football fan, there are many in your locale that are.  Or, they may be fans of other sports (whether at the little league, high school, collegiate, or professional level) that play, meet, scrimmage, etc. in the fall.  Plan your open houses outside of those times and even show some team spirit because you just may be able to pique a homebuyers interest by the Go Blue banner you have waving.

Bonus: Your Agent+ can follow up with all open house attendees with a specific game-related message through apps such as AM Open House (agents check the review video below) so that your home stands out in their memory among the sea of others.

Fail #3: Using Dreary, Desolate Landscaping Photos

Screenshot of iScape

Drab haunted houses are fitting for this time of year but they have no place in your real estate marketing.  Even if you want to sell your home in the fall season try to have your Agent+ on the scene earlier in the year snapping photos and recording videos before your picturesque flowers begin to fade and die.  If it is too late, then spice up your landscaping with seasonal decorations and lighting.  Turning on the lights for photos, videos, and showings can make all the difference in buyers getting an eerie or exciting feeling about your castle.
Also, you can help buyers imagine the potential of your spring and summer landscaping with apps like iScape.


Fail #4: Allowing Unannounced Strangers to Pop-by in the Dark for Showings

You may rightfully so be spooked by strangers stopping by in the dark.  Yes, it may get dark as early as 6 pm so that is not too late for a showing.  However, we live in a day and age that uninvited guests are a safety no-no.  This is especially true if you still live in the home or have valuable items in the home - safety must be your number one concern and priority over getting foot-traffic.  Make time to coordinate with your Agent+ to offer official, planned showings.  Better yet, use scheduling apps and sites like TourSimply.com to be able to schedule and move showings with just a few clicks.

Have more questions about real estate and helpful technology? Ask away by following me on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Google+ or by visiting LearnWithLee.Realtor.  And if you sell real estate (or know someone who does), get a copy of the 5-star rated workbook, Plan to Win, to transform your real estate sales game plan. Here's to your success!