Tips for Selling Your Home in Autumn

Autumn traditionally sees a drop the number of homes available for purchase.

Less inventory means fewer properties to compete against and more chances for your home to catch a buyerrsquo;s eye. Of course, in even the tightest sellerrsquo;s market itrsquo;s important for sellers to price their home correctly. A home thatrsquo;s overpriced rather than listed at true market value can discourage buyers from even viewing the property, especially during the crucial two-week period following listing. Itrsquo;s important that sellers take the advice of their REALTORSreg;, who have reams of data and calculators at their fingertips to help them arrive an appropriate listing price.

Fall also historically sees a decline in buyer demand that can, in some markets, lead to an expectation for autumn sellers to negotiate more willingly. However, in sellerrsquo;s market conditions with limited inventory mdash; such as Orlando and the nation overall are currently experiencing mdash; sellers shouldnrsquo;t expect to see requests for big discounts to their initial asking price regardless of the season. On the contrary, with fewer homes on the market, sellers are likely to continue to see competition among buyers.

Autumn homebuyers are often highly motivated.

With the prospect of inclement weather coming up fast and the likelihood of a significant inventory jump on hold until late spring, autumn homebuyers are often a motivated bunch who anticipate:

bull; Less inventory of available homes;
bull; Less competition for REALTORSreg;rsquo; time and attention;
bull; Less competition for available financing;
bull; Less competition for >bull; Homeowner tax breaks such as

bull; Mortgage Interest Deduction
bull; PMI and FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium Deduction
bull; Prepaid Interest Deduction
bull; Property Tax Deduction
bull; Energy-Efficiency Upgrade Deduction

By purchasing a home in autumn, homebuyers know they can be all settled into their new home in time for the holidays

Fall colors look great on everyone.

Therersquo;s hardly a more beautiful time of year than autumn, so take advantage of it to ramp up curb appeal. Attending to your homersquo;s landscaping is crucial for making that all-important first impression. Rake up the leaves, clean gutters of debris, and make sure flowering ornamental grasses are tidy. And who doesnrsquo;t love a pumpkin and pot of mums on the swept front porch? Nobody Keep it simple, though, and donrsquo;t overdo it with fall deacute;cor inside or out.

nbsp;

nbsp;Jeffrey M. Fagan is the president of the Orlando Regional REALTORreg; Association and is regional vicenbsp;president of Watson Realty Corp.