Photo: PixabayIf you’re preparing to close up shop now that peak season is over and winter is around the corner, you’re missing out on lots of opportunities. While you’re heading into the off-season, so is the real estate market, which is why your expertise is in demand.
Without a beautiful exterior in the fall, homeowners run the risk of having their homes sit on the market through the winter. You can woo sellers with the latest landscaping trends, straight from America’s top real estate agents.
The down-low on the fall real estate market
While fall typically signifies a downward slope in home sales, real estate agents nationwide are saying that the current fall market is a seller’s market. A combination of low inventory — fewer people list in fall, fearing their houses won’t sell — and low interest rates are keeping the real estate market alive. Simply put, don’t close shop for the winter just yet, because home sellers and agents need you to create curb appeal and get their homes to sell.
According to HomeLight’s top agent insights survey from this quarter, these are sellers’ needs if they want their house to sell quickly:
Trees
Those homeowners lacking foliage and shade trees will be looking to plant this fall to make their house look more appealing to potential buyers. However, not any tree will do.
In the 3rd quarter insights survey, top agents shared which trees provide the most value and marketability per region, to help you guide your clients in purchasing and planting around their homes. Take a look:
Pacific Northwest: Fruit, Maple, Palm, Evergreen
Southwest: Oak, Fruit, Maple, Palm
Midwest: Oak, Maple, Pine, Flowering, Pear
Northeast: Oak, Maple, Evergreen, Flowering
Southeast: Palm, Oak, Maple, Magnolia, Crepe Myrtle
Yard maintenance
Apart from planting, the top three agent suggestions for creating curb appeal are really very simple maintenance issues, but not always ones at the forefront of homeowner’s minds. To get a home to fly off the market in fall, homeowners need your help to create a neat, well-maintained exterior, despite all of the debris changing weather and rains bring.
General yard clean up still reigns supreme, removing leaves and other debris, leaving a manicured and virtually spotless yard and flowerbeds. Cleaning leaf and other tree debris from the gutters around the house not only makes the house look well-maintained to outsiders, but it also protects from needing repair work when ice-clogged gutters pull away from the house.
Lastly, overgrown trees and shrubbery should get a trim, taking them from unkempt to clean-cut.
Incorporate seasonal colors
Fall is a beautiful season, as the leaves turn from brilliant greens to warm hues. Incorporate those colors in any plantings you take care of, whether it be mums or marigolds. Encourage your clients to frame focal points, such as the front door, with select pops of fall colors to create a welcoming entryway for potential buyers.
Play with textures
The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) recommends adding plantings that will not only withstand cooler temperatures but will also create unique and eye-catching textures.
In addition to those mums, consider planting ornamental kale, cabbages, and even grasses. Rather than clearing flowerbeds for the winter, give your clients the option to do fall plantings that will provide both color and texture to otherwise boring beds. If your client won’t get on-board with replanting beds, provide them with the option to create these effects with containers instead.
Again, you are a homeowner’s best friend right now, and the key to their successful fall home sale. America’s top real estate agents are consulting with their clients, advising them to up the ante with curb appeal to take advantage of the market, so make sure you’re ready when the calls come in!
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written by Lauren Stevens, a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. Stevens is an award-winning writer specializing in home, tech, families, and the military. She’s crafted content for Vivint Smart Home, Philips Lighting, ADT Residential, Home Depot and other sites.
