People often think that having your home on the market in November and December means you have to forego all of those festive holiday decorations. That is not true! However, you do have to be mindful of a few things in order to make sure your home is still attractive to
potential home buyers. Follow these tips from Houzz.com for a holiday selling success story:
1. Clean and declutter before you decorate.
If your house is already full of knickknacks and furniture, piling on the holiday decor and plopping a blinking, tinsel-laden tree in the middle is a sure way to turn a potential buyer into Scrooge. The cardinal rules of home staging apply, no matter when you list your home. So give your house a good, deep clean and pack up those everyday tchotchkes before you haul out the holiday bins.
2. Less is more.
Ornaments stuffed into every nook, twinkle lights dripping from walls and gutters, and that rooftop inflatable Santa may seem bright and festive to you but are likely to turn off, not dazzle, your buyers. You want them to be impressed with your house, not distracted by decorations. So keep it simple this year.
3. Treat all the senses.
Wintery, holiday scents are welcoming, but use them judiciously and avoid the cloying and artificial. Try a nice basket of scented pinecones, simmer cinnamon on the stovetop or simply allow the subtle and fresh smell of a fir wreath to tantalize and mesmerize.
4. Class, not clash.
For the best impression, make sure your holiday decor complements your existing color palette. For example, if your home is done up in warm or earth tones, lean toward golds, forest greens and deep reds. If your palette is cooler, use silvers, blues and whites to make your home sparkle.
5. Decorate to accentuate.
Show off your home’s selling points by decorating strategically. Does your home have a beautiful archway? Hang a single shiny ornament to draw the eye. Funky-cool beehive fireplace? Go easy on the stockings and give the mantel some breathing room. Curved staircase? String garlands up the railing.
6. Trim down the Tannenbaum. Traditionally, the Christmas tree is afforded a place of honor in the home. However, space sells and, most likely, that tree will be occupying prime interior real estate. Don’t worry; you don’t have to do without it. Simply make sure your tree has the right proportions rather than being the elephant in the room.
If you’re a seller who has been wondering if it might finally be time to sell, email us at concierge@lizmoore.com, or click below, and we can prepare a complimentary analysis of market value for you – you just may be pleasantly surprised.
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