The warm and sunny days of summer are slowly coming to an end. The change of seasons will soon be here and perhaps that has you thinking of changes as well. If you’re at all considering selling your Oakville home this fall but aren’t sure it’s the right time, think again. 

While the spring season tends to be known as an ideal time to list, there’s no doubt that fall is also a great time to get your home on the market. There are many key advantages to selling your home during the fall season and Sue Heddle Homes is the team you need to help you navigate the current market.

5 Reasons to List Your Home This Fall

Having the right real estate agent will make a significant difference when it comes to finding success. While the fall market can be a great time to sell, you still need to work with someone that has experience in your location and knows how to attracts buyers.

If you’re still not sure that the upcoming fall season can work for you, let’s take a look at five advantages home sellers have during this time period.

Things do tend to slow down over the summer, but the number of people looking for homes starts to increase as we head into fall. This is great news for home sellers as there are typically a lower number of homes for sale in the fall which helps to put sellers in the driver’s seat. Low inventory, which is a great thing for sellers, will help your listing get more interest.

2. Another predicted interest rate hike.

The Bank of Canada is predicted to announce another interest rate hike in early September. Buyers with pre-approval will be very motivated to act fast and make a purchase before the pre-approval period expires. Overall, fall months typically bring more serious buyers who are very interested in closing on a new home before year end. This can result in fewer, but more serious showings that lead to offers.

3. Shorter transaction times.

Since the fall season isn’t as busy as spring, you can expect a quicker turnaround time when it comes to mortgage lenders, lawyers, and home inspectors. This can result in quicker and smoother transactions as well as a quicker closing period, all of which can result in less stress for sellers. 

4. A visually appealing time to sell.

Beautiful fall foliage is hard to resist! Embracing all that the fall season has to offer can help you present your home in the best way possible. Adding seasonal décor inside and out is a great way to help a buyer enjoying family time, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, in their new home.

5. Moving can be done by the holidays.

There are many buyers who want to start the new year in their new home. Listing in the fall offers plenty of time for sales to be processed before the end of the year. It also gives sellers a chance to be settled into their new space and start their next chapter.

Sell Your Home This Fall with Sue Heddle Homes 

As you can see, fall is a great time to list your Oakville home! Now’s the time to get your home ready to sell so that you can take advantage of the opportunities the fall months can bring. With more than a decade of helping clients with their real estate needs, Sue Heddle Homes knows what it takes to help you facilitate a successful sale. Please reach out for a free home evaluation and to discuss working together. 

When you’re looking for the right Oakville realtor and are about to put your home on the market, you may be wondering what lies ahead. Once your home is listed, you’ll want to be ready to welcome as many potential home buyers as possible in hopes of a quick sale and a good sale price. When you work with Sue Heddle Homes, you’ll receive free home staging to ensure your home presents the best first impression, but as you start to have potential buyers step into your home, there are things you can do to ensure your home shows well.

Simply put, there are two ways potential buyers can view your home in person. They can either make an appointment with their real estate agent or attend an open house, where your home is open to anyone to come through and look.

A Showing

A showing is a professionally scheduled appointment by your local Oakville realtor that gives potential buyers the opportunity to tour your home on their own (no other buyers at the same time). Either your real estate agent or the potential buyer’s real estate agent will accompany them while they tour your home. For security reasons, you should never allow an unaccompanied buyer into your home. 

Ideally, you should not be present during showings. Buyers need to feel at ease and free to discuss their thoughts. If needed, you can put some parameters around when showings are possible, which may be required if you have young children at home, for example.

An Open House 

An open house is held to try and generate interest and to get as many buyers as possible to walk through and view your home, usually within a few hour time period on a Saturday or Sunday. Sometimes open houses can be held early on a weeknight, but weekends are most common.  Many potential buyers come without their real estate agent, and many people who come through may not even have an agent yet. Your experienced real estate agent, or someone from their team, will host the open house, sign in visitors, and answer questions.  Again, you should plan to not be present. 

How To Ace Showing Your Home

Open houses can be easier to plan for as there is an agreed date and time. Once you get into regular showings, you’ll always need to be ready so that your home shows well to prospective buyers. 

Here are some tips for making sure your home is properly prepared for a showing:

• Turn on all the lights, including outside lights.
• Turn off the TV and any computers.
• Take your pets with you or drop them off at a friend or neighbour’s house.
• Put out fresh flowers, fresh towels or a nice table cloth – something that adds to seasonal décor is ideal.
• Don’t spray strong scents as they can be very off-putting.
• Empty your kitchen compost and garbage, even if it is stored under the sink.
• Make all the beds.
• Open all draperies and curtains to let in as much natural light as possible.
• Pick up stray items – food wrappers, toys, newspapers, empty glasses, etc.
• Keep floors swept, mopped and vacuumed.
• Dust daily to make last minute showings easier.

Sue Heddle Homes – The Experienced Oakville Realtor You Need 

Selling your home is a very busy and often overwhelming time. It certainly helps to have a qualified and experienced realtor on your side to guide you through the process and help limit stress and uncertainty. Sue Heddle is an award-winning realtor with more than 10 years of experience buying and selling homes in Oakville, Burlington, Mississauga and surrounding areas. If you’re ready to sell your home and want it to be a positive experience, contact Sue Heddle Homes. We’d be happy to help!