Decorate for Christmas and sell your house during the holidays
November and December is the time of year for Christmas decorations. Of course, not everyone celebrates Christmas, but for those of us who do, putting up decorations keeps our family traditions alive and brightens our homes during the shortest days and darkest months of the year. But what if you’re trying to sell your home over the holidays? Are you still putting up decorations and lights? Absolutely! But avoid going overboard with these few tips for celebrating the holidays while selling your home.
1. Light up the lights. Placing fewer lights inside and out allows potential buyers to see how simpler lighting is still beautiful. First-time buyers will find it easy to start decorating on an initial budget. They can use their imagination to figure out ways to add to their Christmas decorations while living in the house from one year to the next.
2. Keep decorations generic and minimal. Both interior and exterior decoration should be simple. The fewer decorations, the better. For one thing, generic and minimal decorations keep your lawn and interior from looking too cluttered. Like all good staging, the simplified decorating scheme allows potential buyers to imagine their own decorations around the house. Minimal decor (like removing personal photos and items like that) also keeps your personal tastes out of the equation.
3. Fill your home with Christmas aromas. Most real estate TV shows have shown how pleasant scents work as a selling point. If you’re not a holiday baker, find someone to come and fill your house with the sweet smell of Christmas. It can be anything from apple pie to gingerbread men to giggle doodles. Or leave a pot of wassail (spiced cider) or warm water with whole spices (cinnamon sticks, candied ginger, cloves, and mace) simmering when you know you have an open house or when a real estate agent He’s bringing people over for the tour.
What is the main reason to keep the decorations and lighting simple when selling your house during the holidays? Desdecorating! If your simplified Christmas decorations have become the selling point of your house, you may be selling it fast. Which means you need to pack up your belongings—and your decorations—quickly so you can move into your new home. The fewer decorations and lights you have to remove, the better, right?
A word of warning:
If you live down the street from someone who goes all out with their decorations, you may want to hold off on selling your house until after the holidays. There are some people in the neighborhoods near mine who are so carried away by the lights and yard decorations that they attract a large number of people who look at the lights each year by driving through the neighborhood.
I have to admit that I am one of those who love looking at these Christmas lighting masterpieces. I’ll also tell you up front that if you were looking for a home over the holiday season and found a home near one of these killer kilowatt creations, you wouldn’t buy that home because of the traffic nightmare, even if you found it’s a top contender for otherwise. Guaranteed there are others out there who feel the same