Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Hacks & How-to's

Is September a good time to sell your home?

Kim Renta
By

All across the nation, real estate prices are at record highs. Between COVID lockdowns refocusing Americans on the pleasures of home and remote work encouraging migration out of the cities, the housing market is booming. With a deep, professional cleaning, revamped landscape, and a few little home repairs, you can maximize your selling price.

Once your home is prepared, when is the best time to list it? Should you sell your home in September? Is now the best time? The short answer is yes, and we’ll tell you why.

Related Videos
Getty Images

The top 3 reasons why September is a great time to sell your home

1. Less competition

There’s a long-held belief that spring is the ideal time to sell a house. That mistaken belief can actually work to your advantage as many sellers will hold off on selling until March or April. When fewer homes are available for buyers to choose from, there is more competition, potentially leading to a bidding war that can drive up your home’s value even further.

Related

In addition, rather than worrying about what the house down the street is priced at or what upgrades they have that you don’t, you can simply focus on the sprucing up needed to make your house truly shine. 

2. Incredible weather

In terms of weather, it doesn’t get much better than September. Crisp, cool air, is certainly a better environment for house hunting than the sloppy, wet snow of winter or the stifling heat of summer. Opened windows with a crisp breeze blowing through will make your home feel fresh and clean. 

When it comes to taking listing photos of your home, the backdrop of changing leaves is simply unbeatable. Fall foliage and a few containers of colorful chrysanthemums will make your exterior photos really pop. 

3. The holidays are coming

A September listing gives buyers the potential of being in their new home in time for the holidays — September is the last month before they risk moving right in the middle of the holidays. With a well-planned closing date, the new homeowners could be ready to entertain friends and family by Thanksgiving.

Things you can do to maximize the sale price of your home

Some simple repairs and improvements can help your property sell faster and for a better price.

  • Repaint the walls using soft, neutral colors such as pale grey, taupe, cream, or white.
  • Remove personal touches from around the house — now is not the time to display every baby photo of your children. Buyers want to imagine the house as their own, and seeing kindergarten drawings on the refrigerator won’t achieve that goal. 
  • If you have room in your budget for renovations, spend your upgrade dollars on the kitchen or bathrooms, as those are the rooms that are most likely to inflate your home’s sale price. 
  • Do a deep clean of everything from the floors to the ceiling so your rooms smell refreshing and are sparkling clean — better yet, hire a professional to do it for you. 
  • Make sure every room is well lit and remove pieces of furniture or decor that block natural light. Buyers love natural light streaming through shiny, spotless windows. 
  • Spruce up the yard by trimming shrubs, raking leaves, mowing the lawn, and adding potted plants and flowers by the front entrance. 
  • Your listing photos are often the first image prospective buyers will have of your home. Consider hiring a professional photographer who understands real estate photography. Do not take pictures with unmade beds, full laundry baskets on the floor, or dishes in the sink. 

Price it right

Landing on the right price is a crucial aspect of the entire real estate experience — pricing it too low could end up costing you money, but pricing it too high could discourage qualified buyers from even considering your home. 

Instead of doing the calculations on your own, work with a reputable real estate agent to conduct a comparative market analysis. With this report, you can discover the list prices of similar houses in your neighborhood, allowing you to price yours more competitively. Take into account details like the construction style, age of the home, square footage, location, and amenities before landing on the perfect price. 

Selling your home can be stressful, but if you maximize your home’s value with these few tips, you can swiftly move on to your next home and your next big adventure. Factoring in everything — including the very month you put your home on the market — will make the process smoother and more lucrative than you ever thought possible. 

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
10 helpful tips to keep bugs out of your apartment or condo
Keep bugs out of your home without calling the exterminator
Dead bug with pest control sign

Cleaning your apartment might be enough to keep your place looking nice, but it may not be enough to keep pesky bugs from making your home their home. Keeping bugs out of an apartment or condo is a different game than keeping them out of a house. When you live in an apartment building or condo that's part of a larger unit, bugs can quickly come from community spaces into your space. If your neighbors have habits that attract bugs, it doesn’t take much for those critters to come into your rooms, too.

Your apartment or condo location can also contribute to the number of bugs in your living area, such as if your apartment is near the woods or close to the outdoor dumpsters. Also, apartment complexes and condos often have several entrances, which increase the chances insects have to get into your home.

Read more
Should you power wash your house in the fall? Here are 5 things to wash at the end of the season
Power wash your house in the fall - you'll be happy with the results
Man spraying roof with power washer

The fall season is a prime time to check some of those pesky household chores off your to-do list. With the kids back in school, autumn is a time to wrap up all things summer and prepare for winter. This includes fall floor-to-ceiling cleaning, which is tedious but necessary work. Take solace knowing there's at least one quick task, and maybe even a little fun: power washing your home's exterior. With just five quick power washing projects, you can have your house sparkling clean and prepared to survive the winter.

With end-of-season projects in mind, check out the five most important power washing projects you should undertake to keep your home clean, protected, and ready for winter. You'll be surprised how satisfying power washing your house in the fall can be, and we promise you'll love the results.

Read more
3 affordable home dry-cleaning kits that actually work
Try one the best home dry-cleaning kits
Woman loading dryer in the utility in the room

Have you ever considered adding a home dry-cleaning kit to your laundry room arsenal? Sure, sometimes a professional dry-cleaner is your best option, especially if your clothes are made of leather, fur, or suede. Or perhaps you managed to get some really tough, set-in stains, or you just can't fit the item inside your washer or dryer. But, let's face it: Dry-cleaners can be expensive and inconvenient. Aside from these specific situations, it's not uncommon to want a nice, dry-cleaned suit or dress without all the hassle. Wouldn't life be a lot easier if you could just clean your items at home? Well, sometimes you can if you invest in a home dry-cleaning kit.

Thankfully, there are plenty of kits to choose from! Though, knowing which will be right for you and your needs can be challenging. How do you choose the best at-home dry-cleaning solution? Luckily, we're here to point you in the right direction toward some easy-to-use products to spruce up your clothing, refresh your drapes, or remove stubborn stains from your carpet.

Read more