The best way to sell your home this autumn
You can't deny the tantalising feeling as we move into autumn. The sun rises a little later, and if we're lucky, we can catch the most jaw-dropping sunrises on our way to work. The nights draw in, and we start to reach for chunky knitted jumpers and boots to go outside.
Summer is wonderful in Britain - garden parties and picnics, cream teas and Eton mess. Pimms and zingy homemade lemonade filled with ice to quench your thirst on a hot day.
But, you can't deny the tantalising feeling as we move into autumn. The sun rises a little later, and if we're lucky, we can catch the most jaw-dropping sunrises on our way to work. The nights draw in, and we start to reach for chunky knitted jumpers and boots to go outside.
Long weekend walks through woodland, admiring the brandished colours of the leaves that crunch underfoot.
During the summer months, we stage our homes for sale with vases of flowers, and the viewings take place on bright sunny days. We show how we use the outside space for garden parties or enjoying our peaceful morning coffee on the patio as we listen to the birds. But this changes as the weather changes.
So, what do we need to do to showcase our homes in the best way? The outdoor seating areas, BBQs set up, and al fresco dining set up and staged are gone. No more sun loungers and fresh flowers everywhere. Now it's time to dig out those scented candles and chunky blankets to help to stage your home for autumn.
The key now is to up your home's cosy factor-the hygge.
Hygge is a Danish concept that became popular a few years ago. The idea of the pursuit of happiness from your surroundings. During the cooler months, this involves an abundance of chunky blankets, cushions, candles, and crackling fires.
When you come in from the cold outdoors, wet and windswept, is there anything more inviting than a cosy warm home?
Your outside space is still important to home searchers, so there will probably be quite a lot of work to do here. Cut shrubs and bushes back, get rid of the flowers that are past their best, prune and tweak to neaten everything up. During the summer, the garden grows, but as those leaves drop, you will see that everything left behind looks a bit unruly. So, clean up fallen leaves, cut back shrubs, and prune the trees. Keep the outside as tidy as you can. You can't do anything about the passing of time, but you can keep it clean and tidy.
Make your home as welcoming as possible to viewers, whether they are viewing during the day or the evenings. Get the heating on, brew some lovely tea or coffee and light fires and candles. Ramp up the cosiness for your viewings during autumn and into winter.