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15 Ways to Stage Your Home for the Fall Season

By U.S. News & World Report

As the seasons change so does the real estate market, and it’s important to embrace these changes throughout your home to capture every buyer opportunity before the winter slump. If you’re looking to sell your home before year’s end follow these simple home staging tips for your exterior and interior to welcome buyers into your home.

Exterior:

Create a welcoming front porch. If needed, paint your front door, add a new welcome mat and a few seasonal plants and pumpkins. Hang a wreath on the door that embraces fall foliage, so it can be used through the Thanksgiving holiday. Try adding a seating area if you have the space. Put out colorful, fall-inspired pillows and a throw blanket when showing.

Add seasonal plants. Speaking of seasonal foliage, change out your plant containers and pots around your home to show off hardier plants that will flourish this time of year. Try colorful mums, cabbages, goldenrods, burning bush or aster to show off a lively space.

[See: 9 Easy Ways to Boost Your Home’s Curb Appeal.]

Prune back landscaping. Take a look at the trees, shrubs and bushes around your home. Cut away anything dead or overgrown, especially around your windows. This will help safeguard your home from falling debris, as well as allow for maximum natural light to enter the home.

Inspect the roof. Fall is essentially the last time of the year you’ll be able to make any repairs on your roof. Depending on where you live, brutal weather can cause leaks, collapses and other damage, so do yourself a favor and a schedule an inspection.

Clean gutters and downspouts. This time of year, trees shed their leaves and can clog up your gutters. Because moisture can turn to ice during the fall and winter, you want to make sure any water is easily being removed from your home’s structure.

Spruce up the lawn. Those leaves can also make a mess on your lawn, so rake them frequently while on the market. Also, now is the time to repair any brown spots in your lawn and fertilize it. Winterize your sprinkler system now too, to save on electric.

Winterize the patio or deck, and pool. Most of us will have to say “bye, bye” to those fun summer days in the pool. Now is the time to close up the pool and put away or cover up most lawn furniture. Despite colder days, you should still set a scene to entice buyers. Try using an outdoor fire pit — create a seating area where you can chat around the fire, roast marshmallows and sip hot cocoa. Use a string of white lights to highlight the area, and don’t forget to add seasonal plants.

[See: 13 Photography Tips When Shooting Your Home to Put It on the Market.]

Interior:

Find the perfect temperature. Check your heater, schedule your oil delivery and prepare to transfer from the air conditioning to heat. When showing your home you want to make sure it’s the perfect temperature to reduce any buyer distractions.

Focus on the fireplace. During this time of year the fireplace will become the center of attention. Make sure to check the fireplace and chimney are working properly. Create a seating area around the fireplace, bring in wood and set up a fall scene on your mantel.

Update your window treatment. Treat your windows to a good cleaning inside and out. Change out curtain panels for more luxurious fabrics, like velvet in darker or bolder colors. Make sure to keep your window treatments open to maximize the amount of natural light entering the home.

Light up the interior. With shorter days upon us you may need to add more lighting inside your home to really highlight the space during showings. Have at least three light sources in every room and turn on all the lights when showing your home. Try putting your lights on a timer and keep your front lights on to welcome buyers up to the house.

Add warmer tones. Besides using light to add warmth to a space, switch out your cooler-tone colors, like blues and greens for orange, red, burgundy, and yellow. Add these colors in your home with paint, curtains, artwork, a rug or other smaller accessories. Remember a little goes a long way with these colors.

Incorporate cozy upholstery. Time to add on the layers. Bring in textured upholstery in your furniture, window treatments, bedding, pillows, throws and rugs by using plush, soft materials — burlap, silk, fur, velvet and other heavier, durable materials work well.

Use autumn scents. Intrigue the senses this fall by adding familiar fall scents like vanilla, pumpkin spice or apple cinnamon.

[See: 13 Things to Know About Selling Your Home in Fall and Winter.]

Change up decor. Time to remove the lighter-colored accents, summer photos and boating, fiesta and beach house themes. Replace those accessories with warmer colors like those mentioned above — pumpkins, owls or birds, leaves or other natural elements to remind you of farm stands and harvest time.

More from U.S. News

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12 Home Improvement Shortcuts That Are a Bad Idea

Weird Home Features That May Confuse Homebuyers

15 Ways to Stage Your Home for the Fall Season originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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