Like it or not, the season here in the New River Valley is getting ready to change from summer to fall, and then winter. Like death and taxes, the seasons here in Blacksburg are guaranteed.

While it’s hard to think about winter when it’s nearly 90 degrees outside, try. It’s likely your house looks much better with green grass, full leaves, and colorful flowers than it does with gray cloudy skies, scraggly trees, and patches of snow on the ground … maybe I’m wrong, maybe your house is different, but I doubt it … the vast majority of homes fall into the first category. If you’re expecting to sell this fall or winter, go ahead and take photos – at least of the exterior – while the landscaping still looks great. The inside can wait until you and your agent are done staging the house, but I can promise you the outside photos will benefit from having clean, crisp images and lots of color. Consider hiring the best real estate photographer in the area, Sean Shannon Photography, to get the photos done now, or even just as the leaves are changing but haven’t started to fall.  Your listing will look better for it.

And don’t worry about the fact that there’s a foot of snow on the ground outside, while the photos show a lush, green yard; buyers aren’t going to rule out your house because it doesn’t seem to “match” the season. If anything, with the right photographs, your house is going to look so much better than anything else, it won’t matter.

Want more tips for selling your house, anytime of year?  I have 3 Ls that I can’t stress enough …

1. Lights – turn on the lights. All of them. Open the drapes and blinds, turn on the lamps, and let the light shine in. It’ll make every room look 10x better, even if there’s a wall painted deep black.
2. Lids – put down the toilet seat lids. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been showing a house, and seen a kid’s doodie floating in a toilet with the lid up. We all know what happens there – close the lid.
3. Leave – get out. Scram. It’s awkward for buyers to walk through a house when the seller is there; they don’t talk as candidly with their agent, which can often mean the difference between an offer and an early exit. Go watch a movie, or drive around the block … nothing says “make this house your home” like the seller following you from room to room.

And because I just think time lapse photography is so cool …