Home Owner Tips, Real Estate Marketing Ideas

5 Tips for Staging a Fall Listing

By Lindsay Goebel Last Updated March 16, 2022 3 min read

The real estate market usually peaks sometime between late spring and the end of summer. As the temperatures begin to cool, so does the buying season. Don’t let this worry you, though. Fall is a wonderful time of year to sell a home! 

There’s just something special about autumn that inspires change, connectedness, and nostalgia. If you are listing a home this fall, you can create these feel-good emotions in the house with thoughtful touches. 

Here are five festive tips for staging a fall listing: 

Make it Cozy

Have you heard of the art of hygge? Hygge is a Danish word for the quality of coziness and comfort that fosters contentment and well-being. You can create a hygge-inspired atmosphere for your fall listing with cozy seasonal accents. 

An ideal place to search for fall-time decor is HomeGoods. There, you can find decorative accent pillows, thick woven blankets, area rugs, and more. Before you run to the store, do some research on Pinterest to find the perfect fall staging inspirations. 

Add Warm Scents

In addition to staging the home with cozy elements, consider adding warm scents. You can light a pumpkin chai-scented candle or whip up a fall stovetop potpourri. If you prefer something that needs less supervision, consider a wax melt light or a plugin air freshener. 

With whatever you decide, don’t go overboard! You want the scent to be subtle while still elevating a potential buyer’s experience

Create a Tablescape 

Fall is the season for gathering with family and enjoying home-cooked dinners around the table. When you stage your listing or home during the fall, pay special attention to your dining table. 

You can create a beautiful autumn tablescape using decorative elements like candlesticks, pinecones, pumpkins, leaves/garland, and a table runner. A tablescape helps prospective buyers see how the dining room is used and gives them a sense of what it would be like to host dinners in the home. 

can you sell a house in the fall
Help prospective buyers imagine their future in the property!

Focus on the Fireplace

Another place to add decorative items is the fireplace. If your listing or home has a fireplace, you can enhance the space with fall favorites like pumpkins, vases, candles, garland, and lanterns. 

If the fireplace is white, use bold or dark colors to draw in the eye. Likewise, if the fireplace is dark, use neutral colors to lighten up the space. You can even use white pumpkins instead of the classic orange pumpkins. 

Here are several fireplace mantel decoration ideas from Pinterest

Don’t Forget the Exterior

Curb appeal is significant, especially when the real estate market cools. Luckily, the changing leaves help the landscaping pop, but you should also add some potted flowers to the outdoor spaces. Mums are a good flower choice for front porches. They come in a variety of colors, including dark reds, yellows, and oranges. 

A seasonal wreath is another way to enhance the exterior of the home. Most home improvement stores and home goods stores sell seasonal wreaths. You may also find discounted wreaths at craft stores. 


Staging a fall listing is a rewarding and fun marketing strategy. By adding seasonal accents throughout the property and to the outdoor living space, you help buyers picture spending their favorite time of the year in the home. 

Making a space cozy and warm is the main focus of staging a fall listing. Focus on adding decorative elements to the living room, dining room, and fireplace. Remember to remove or hide personal items like family photos, electronics, pet toys and beds, and litterboxes. 

If staging a listing for the fall real estate market isn’t your idea of a good time, you can hire a professional home staging company. You could also use virtual staging and add seasonal decorations to your professional real estate images in post-production. 

Whatever route you choose, staging a fall listing is the best way to help potential buyers fall in love with your home this autumn!