Autumn is the market’s second selling season. The buyers who are looking now are working towards a completion date before the end of the year. They’ll see your property in softer light than summer sunshine. The entrance, the lighting and the temperature will all help to build your first impression.
Preparing your home for a viewing: start at the front door
Now, your property sale takes you further.
Instruct Foxtons as your sole agent, and when we sell your property, collect 20,000 Avios.*
Start your journey here.
Your home’s first impression happens here: the entry way, the shared hall, the mudroom, the welcome mat.
By October, the entrance is doing double duty as a cloakroom. Dripping coats over the newel post, boots along the skirting, umbrellas in the stand, a buggy and two bikes in the shared hallway. That is domestic life in London and it is the first thing a buyer meets before they have taken their own coat off. If you can move anything for the hour of the viewing, the space goes back to its full width.
How to light a room in autumn
Lighting a property in autumn is all lamps and mirrors.
Our Negotiators book viewings around the buyer's working day, which for people with a job can mean an evening or a Saturday. From late September a good share of those arrive when the daylight is fading, giving your interior lighting centre stage.
So, for your daytime viewings, open the curtains and blinds fully. Low autumn sun comes in at an angle and throws long shadows, and a mirror opposite the window bounces it further into the room. On a grey day, put a lamp on as well, even at noon, so the corners don't drop away.
For an evening viewing, a ceiling light working on its own tends to flatten a room and leave the corners in shadow. Switch on any lamps you have, at the height someone would sit rather than up at the ceiling rose, and the room gets its depth back. Put your warmest lamp in the darkest corner to show buyers what a comfort their new home could be when the weather turns.
This needs no shopping trip. Light you already own in the right spot is more than enough. However, if you're picking up a replacement anyway, 2700K is the warm end of the scale.
Louisa Boulton-Lea of Kelling Staging made the same case for lighting at different levels in our piece on making a home brighter in late winter, with more on how interior design shapes a property's appeal.
The cosiest autumn home in London
On a property viewing, buyers should be able to focus on the home itself rather than noticing any distractions. So let's talk airflow.
In September, the weather's still doing most of the work for you. But if it has gone stuffy, open the windows for a few minutes and shut them again before anyone arrives.
Once the weather turns, put the heating on 45 minutes ahead and hold it at a steady 19 to 20°C. That is long enough for the fabric of the building to cosy up with the air, which makes the difference between stepping into a cosy home and one that had the thermostat hiked on the way to the door.
Preparing your home for sale: small jobs and when to list
Small details can make all the difference. Simple jobs such as touching up paintwork, cleaning windows, replacing broken fittings or tidying outside spaces can affect the overall impression.
We’ve got more tips here on making your home's exterior more appealing.
The biggest insight we have on small details, however, is not to let them stall your plans. The autumn market is busy, so prioritise that property valuation over the paint job.
"One of the biggest mistakes sellers make is delaying their launch while trying to complete every outstanding job. Marketing and preparation can happen at the same time. Coming to market sooner means we can start engaging with active buyers while the smaller improvements are still being finished. We are often speaking to potential buyers before a property is launched, matching them to homes we know are coming to market. The earlier those conversations begin, the more opportunity there is to build interest and momentum ahead of the launch."
James Stevenson
Managing Director of Sales at Foxtons
Selling your home in autumn
Autumn buyers view with a move-in date in mind, and it’s worth getting your property out there in the market where it can be part of their big plans. So, clear the entrance, put the lamps on, and get your valuation in the diary:
Source: This article draws on the Foxtons Negotiators who run viewings across our London offices. It reflects what they see buyers respond to and question in a property between September and December. If you have any questions on this article, email us to ask a Foxtons expert.
