STAGING TIPS FOR THE FALL SEASON

With autumn quickly approaching, many home sellers are wondering what décor items are acceptable to use when their home is on the market. I generally recommend using seasonal items, as opposed to those that refer to a specific, such as Thanksgiving or Halloween. For example, putting a few pumpkins at the front door is a great way to dress up the front entry for the fall season. However, a jack-o-lantern, which is more specific to Halloween, is probably not the best choice. Here are a few other quick ideas for adding seasonal interest to your home.

• Put out some plants that either bloom at this time or provide color with their leaves. These are just a few attractive fall bloomers: asters, Russian sage, perennial sunflower, Helenium, sedum, Japanese anemone & crocus. My blog post from last year at this time gives quite a few examples, along with pictures and more detailed information on each plant.

Autumn Joy Sedum
 Copyright 2006 by Peter Stevens

• Add warm-colored towels, throws, pillows & entry mats. Think about fall colors such as browns, yellows & golds, oranges, & reds. 
•  Group mini pumpkins, gourds, or dried corn cobs in decorative bowls or baskets.

Mini pumpkins in basket
Copyright 2007 by Pete Markham. 

• Replace faded summer flowers in your vases with branches bearing fall leaves in colors that complement your home’s décor. Luckily, fall leaf colors work with just about any style or color palette.  
• Think about candles in scents like apple, cinnamon, or pumpkin. Natural scents are appealing to buyers. Just make sure they aren’t too strong. Candles still give off a light scent, even when they aren’t lit -- and candles should never be lit when you aren’t at home. 
• Consider replacing bowls of lemons and limes with apples or small squash varieties. 

Mini gourds in basket 
Copyright 2008 by Bastion

   
 These few tips should be a good starting point for you. Learn more about what you should do when staging a home, as well as those things you should avoid.