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5 Fall Selling Tips for Portsmouth NH Homes and Condos

By Ann Cummings

Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Shoreline - NH and Maine NH and Maine Broker

October 05, 2008 01:51 PM

Portsmouth NH Fall Foliage - Ann Cummings Copyright 2008
Thinking about selling your home or condo in Portsmouth NH? If so, this is a great season to help enhance the beauty of your home!

Fall colors and scents are glorious here in New Hampshire and Maine. Embrace them and put them to use to help showcase your condo or home to potential Portsmouth homebuyers.

Fall here in the Seacoast is just gorgeous, and these tips will help you incorporate that beauty into your Portsmouth NH home to help potential buyers see that beauty as well!

Some of these tips are common sense, and some add a really nice welcoming feeling to potential buyers and their agents, and they all offer homeowners easy things to think about doing if their home is for sale.

--   "Curb Appeal" - never forget to think about those all-important 'first impressions'. With the gorgeous colors of fall leaves, this can add to a home's already existing appeal, however all those leaves laying around on the ground certainly don't. Clean them up!!

--   "Celebrate the Season" - this is one that I have to admit I wouldn't have given much thought to. Embrace the fall and have fall decorating items--hang a nice fall wreath, arrange some pumpkins & corn stalks - what a nice way to greet people at the front door. Nothing says 'welcome' like a nice display of seasonal things at the entry of a home!

                                    Portsmouth NH Fall Mums and Pumpkins - Ann Cummings Copyright 2008

--   "Let the Light In" - oh how important this one is!! If you have heavy curtains or drapes, open them up and let the sun shine in!! Turn on lamps and make your home exude a warmth and welcome for showings.

-- "Your Fireplace" - if you have a fireplace, this is a lovely time of year to show it off. Place a log or two in the fireplace, or if you have a gas fireplace, flick the switch and have a nice fire burning/glowing to welcome potential homebuyers. You can place a nice candle holder in the fireplace that holds several candles. What a great way to say welcome to those looking at your home or condo!

-- "Scents of the Season" - the sense of smell is the strongest sense to appeal to. Most people are greatly enticed by the scents of cinnamon and apples. Bake a fresh apple pie and/or cinnamon cookies - what a great way to welcome potential homebuyers! Leave a plate of these fresh-baked goodies with a note to have buyers enjoy a treat while viewing your home - a very nice touch that they won't forget.

Fall Scarecrow Display - Ann Cummings Copyright 2008
These tips were inspired by an article in Realty Times written by Michele Dawson. They are just as timely today as when they were written several years ago. To read the full article and see more tips, click here....

If you're thinking about selling your Portsmouth NH home or condo, give me a call! We can set up a time to meet and discuss the current Portsmouth area real estate market and ways to get your home S-O-L-D! Call me today at 888-349-5678 x 3839, or send me an email at ann@anncummings.com, and let's talk real estate!

Ann Cummings, New Hampshire REALTOR
RE/MAX Coast to Coast
Portsmouth NH
  ann@anncummings.com
      888-349-5678     x 3839
Servicing the Coastal Areas of NH & Southern Maine

Comments(17)

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Karen Hurst

RICOASTALLIVING.COM - Warwick, RI

Rhode Island Waterfront!

Excellent advice, Ann. Even vacant homes need help. I find that when I walk in all the blinds are closed (usually unevenly) and everything just looks cold and unwelcoming. That knocks the price down immediately (in my mind).

A house that looks like it is well cared for lures a buyer into seeing it as his/her new home. I personally like the "smell/scent" factor. There is no greater turnoff than walking into an unpleasant smelling house!!

Oct 05, 2008 03:27 PM

Lynda Eisenmann

Preferred Home Brokers - Brea, CA

Broker Associate ,CRS,GRI,SRES, Brea,CA, Orange Co

Hi Ann,

Great information. Your "celebrate the season" is some I experienced during a fall foliage trip about 4 years ago. Everyone seemed to have their homes decorated for the season (something unexpected for me from SoCal) it was wonderful.

Oct 05, 2008 03:33 PM

Kathy McGraw

CELLing Realty - White Water, CA

Riverside County CA Real Estate

Hi Ann- I would never have thought of a couple of these....but I like them...I like the decorate for the season and the fireplace one. That would sure get me interested in the house :)

Oct 05, 2008 03:40 PM

Jennifer Fivelsdal

JFIVE Home Realty LLC | 845-758-6842|162 Deer Run Rd Red Hook NY 12571 - Rhinebeck, NY

Mid Hudson Valley real estate connection

Ann - Yes fall can be a great time to show off the house. A fire going and the smell of hot cider with lots of cinnamon could be just what's needed. Can't wait for the leaves to change here.

Oct 05, 2008 03:59 PM

Missy Caulk

Missy Caulk TEAM - Ann Arbor, MI

Savvy Realtor - Ann Arbor Real Estate

Great advice to embrase fall, it is one of my favorite times of the year, need to go to the basement and dig out all my fall, Halloween decorations. It really does help if sellers would open up curtains and blinds it makes the house show so much better.

Oct 06, 2008 12:55 AM

Gita Bantwal

RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA

REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Great tips. I love decorating for fall. Just buying some mums makes the exterior look like it has great landcaping and adds to curb appeal.

Oct 06, 2008 01:00 AM

Judy Tuscano

Prudential Verani Realty - Nottingham, NH

NH Real Estate Professional

Ann - good tips for fall decorating. We were in Portsmouth yesterday enjoying the fall flavor. Beautiful.

Oct 06, 2008 01:36 AM

Teri Eckholm

Boardman Realty - White Bear Lake, MN

REALTOR Serving Mpls/St Paul North & East Metro

Ann--Great reminder that sellers should embrace the seasons and dress up their homes to make them more attractive to buyers. A home with a tasteful, fall display in the entry can make a buyer feel welcome and set the tone for the entire showing. Great post!

Oct 06, 2008 02:03 AM

Bill Gassett

RE/MAX Executive Realty - Hopkinton, MA

Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate

Hi Ann - Nice tips. In a challenging market like we are in everything you do is well worth the effort. There are many homes available and the ones that are presented in the best light with a proper price are the ones that will get moved.

Oct 06, 2008 03:29 AM

Sharon Tara

Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH

Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Great post Ann. I love Fall and agree New England is the best place to experience it. Great advice to appeal to the buyers on an emotional level.

Oct 06, 2008 07:51 AM

George Souto

George Souto NMLS #65149 FHA, CHFA, VA Mortgages - Middletown, CT

Your Connecticut Mortgage Expert

Ann great tips!!!

I loved the pictures. You and Monika have taken some great shots. The two of you need to turn them into post cards.

Oct 06, 2008 11:44 AM

Kathy Clulow

Uxbridge, ON

Trusted For Experience - Respected For Results

Ann - Fall is a very colourful time of year ... a great opportunity to bring the smells and colour into the home ... great suggestions

Oct 06, 2008 11:33 PM

Ann Cummings

RE/MAX Shoreline - NH and Maine - Portsmouth, NH

Portsmouth NH Real Estate Preferrable Agent

Hi Karen - you're right about the empty homes. I don't understand why some agents don't take just a tiny little bit of effort to at least let some light in. And the sense of smell is the most powerful sense to offend - hard to come back from that one for sure.

Hi Lynda - I loved that line, "celebrate the season" - it conjures up such a great image in my mind.

Hi Kathy - I liked those as well, especially the fireplace. A lit fire for showings can make such a nice welcome to potential buyers.

Hi Jennifer - the leaves are changing here and they seem especially more vibrant and brilliant this year.

Hi Missy - did you get to the basement yet? What a difference letting some light in really does make!

Many thanks for the comments!
Ann

Oct 07, 2008 08:36 AM

Ann Cummings

RE/MAX Shoreline - NH and Maine - Portsmouth, NH

Portsmouth NH Real Estate Preferrable Agent

Hi Gita - mums outside make a big difference, and such a nice welcome to potential buyers, too.

Hi Judy - I love Portsmouth! You should call me next time you're either here or heading over here.

Hi Teri - I think sellers would do well to take advantage of every season if they can. It just makes a very nice first impression when tastefully done.

Hi Bill - you're so right about the best presentations and those being the ones that get the attention and sell. You never get another chance to make a great first impression - those sellers that take the extra steps to do just that get to reap the rewads.

I really appreciate the comments!
Ann

Oct 07, 2008 08:40 AM

Ann Cummings

RE/MAX Shoreline - NH and Maine - Portsmouth, NH

Portsmouth NH Real Estate Preferrable Agent

Hi Sharon - there surely can't be any place more beautiful to be in the fall than right here where are fortunate to live! Residential real estate is all about emotions, so we should all be cognisent of that.

Hey George - wow, what a really cool comment, and thank you!! We both just love our areas and that makes it really easy to just keep taking pictures everywhere we go.

Hi Kathy - there are so many wonderful smells and colors of fall, it would be a shame to not take advantage of them to help sell homes!

Thank you for the comments - much appreciated!
Ann

Oct 07, 2008 08:46 AM

Stephanie Ballou

Keller Williams Coastal Realty - Dover, NH

Great tips. Fall is so beautiful here.

Oct 09, 2008 05:25 AM

Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400

HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400 - Pikesville, MD

Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome

Ann, Love your photos and love your tips. The mums are exquisite this time of year.

We used to suggest getting that "fresh baked" apple pie smell until a client who was allergic to cinnamon could not enter the home.