Drive down pretty much any street in Westerville right now and you’ll see it: the maples are starting to turn, the mornings have a real chill to them, and Uptown’s planters have swapped over to mums and pumpkins. If you’re getting ready to list — or your home has been sitting online with photos that were shot back in July — this next stretch of weeks is worth paying attention to.
Why Fall Curb Appeal Photos Outperform Summer Ones
Central Ohio’s color usually builds through October and peaks somewhere in the back half of the month, but the early transition — the point we’re at right now — is often the most flattering moment for listing photography. The lawn is still green, the trees are just starting to show orange and gold at the edges, and the light in early morning and late afternoon has a warmth to it that flat summer sun doesn’t give you. A house photographed this week can look genuinely inviting in a way that’s hard to fake the rest of the year.
Should You Wait for “Peak” Color to List?
No. By the time the color is at its most dramatic, a lot of it is already on the ground instead of on the trees, and a yard full of leaves reads as maintenance neglect to a buyer scrolling photos at 9pm, not as autumn charm. The better strategy is to get your exterior shots done now, while the trees still have leaves and the color is building, and keep the lawn raked and tidy for showings as the season progresses.
A Quick Pre-Photo Checklist
- Rake and bag any leaves that have already dropped — even a light scattering reads differently in a photo than it does in person.
- Swap out summer porch decor for something seasonal but neutral; a few pumpkins go a long way, an elaborate Halloween display does not.
- Check gutters and downspouts before the photographer arrives — overflowing leaves in a gutter show up in wide exterior shots more than people expect.
- Shoot during the “golden hour” window in early morning or about an hour before sunset for the warmest light on brick and siding.
What This Means for Buyers Touring Right Now
If you’re touring homes this week, pay attention to how a listing’s photos compare to what you actually see in person. A home that was photographed well and is being kept up since tells you something about how the sellers maintain the property overall. One that looks noticeably different in person than in its listing photos is worth a second look at the rest of the maintenance history too.
The Bottom Line
The next two to three weeks are historically one of the best photography windows of the year in Central Ohio — better than the flat green of summer and better than the bare, muddy look that shows up after peak color drops. If your home isn’t on the market yet but will be this fall, this is the week to get the photographer scheduled.
We’re Johanna and Aaron Crosier, and we time our listing photography around exactly this kind of seasonal window for our sellers. If you want your home to actually look like Westerville looks right now, reach out and let’s get it on the calendar before the leaves do.