Ahh, fall! Time to change from sweltering heat to sweater weather. It’s also a great time to check up on your home’s curb appeal (especially if you’re trying to sell it). Take a cue from Mother Nature and the color of changing leaves to spice things up a little sooner than late with these five tips from the home sale experts at Offerpad. 

Touch up trim with a fabulous fall palette.

Accent doors, windows, railings and porches with the colors of the season. Rich, red ambers, jewel-toned golds, blues and dark greens can add eye-catching contrast and a warm, inviting vibe. Make your house number stand out, too. Get creative with a custom treatment for your digits. Paint them on, alongside or above the door, or order a personalized plaque or house number sign for a stylized accent. 

Put more than pumpkins on the porch. 

Step it up and arrange an assortment of vibrant fall-colored planters full of fresh fall flowers. Check your local nursery for recs on which blooms work best in your part of the world. Layer outdoor rugs to replace a worn-out welcome mat. Refresh cushions and pillows on outdoor seating in the season’s best shades along with a comfy throw blanket. And if you can swing it, who wouldn’t love to snuggle up under that blanket on a porch swing with a mug of your favorite fall beverage? 

Break out the leaf blower. 

Prepare your yard and lawn for a long winter’s nap by raking, bagging and disposing of leaves. Keep up your home’s curb appeal by storing any seasonal décor still on display from this summer in the shed. (Need tips on organizing your shed? We have some here.) Call a local junk removal company to haul away larger items like that broken trampoline. Perk up pavers, walkways and driveways with a good power washing. Check the roofline for broken tiles, missing shingles and loose flashing. Clean out clogged or overflowing gutters. 

Show your windows some love. 

Fall’s the time in many parts of the country to replace summer window screens with storm windows. Before installing, clean them inside and out. To make a good impression, make sure your window treatments look as good from the outside as they do inside. Replace any broken panes, saggy slats, shades and broken blinds. Clean any exterior shades, shutters or awnings. Roll up or remove any exterior seasonal window coverings to store and protect them for next summer. 

Leave the light on. 

Show your home in its best light. Update and replace old, broken exterior light fixtures with energy-efficient, motion-activated security lighting. Line and illuminate walkways, doors and porches with LED lanterns to match your home’s décor and style. Turn trees into stunning design statements with strings of white or colored lights. (Who says you have to wait for the holidays?) 

And, if your enthusiasm for your current home has been curbed, we can help you sell it and find a new one this fall. Or any time of the year. Offerpad has hundreds of new listings you can tour virtually or in person every month. Take a drive by at offerpad.com/buy and see if anything appeals to you. We can do literally (almost) everything – even home loans – so you can spend less time real estat-ing and more time living.