The Holidays are upon us – are you selling your home?
It’s that time of year, the holidays have arrived. Already people have been reporting the sounds of the season in malls, grocery stores, and their offices. We’re still two weeks away from Thansgiving and already there is no escaping it. Is your home on the market? Will you be selling your home in the next few weeks? If your home will be on the market during the holidays, there are a few things you should consider.
While everyone deserves the right to celebrate the holidays in whatever fashion they choose, listing your home during this time of year can prove to be a bit more difficult. In addition to the natural slowdown in buyer behavior (they’re busy celebrating too), holiday decorating can be a contentious issue for sellers and buyers. Much like we encourage sellers to clean up and stage their home during normal times of the year, a little thoughtful preparation into your holiday decorating will go a long way. Here are a few tips.
Go easy on the decorations. – While everyone loves to decorate their home, the same ideas that apply during the rest of the year apply here. Over-decorating is distracting to buyers and doesn’t let them see the true beauty of your home. Without fail, the buyers will spend more time looking at your decorations and less time looking at the home itself.
Clark Griswold you aren’t. If lights and giant trees are your thing, don’t take advice from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and one of my heroes, Clark W. Griswold. The enormous light display looks cool at night, but never looks very good in the daytime when potential buyers will be looking at your house. And the over-sized tree? It just makes your living room look tiny.
Religion. This is always a sticky subject and while everyone has the right to display their religious beliefs through their holiday decorations, it may be off-putting to some potential buyers. While we don’t recommend you “hide” your beliefs, we do recommend moderation in your decorating – religious or otherwise.
The Sweet Smell of Christmas. If your home smells like elves have been up all night baking 3,000 different types of cookies, while Mrs. Claus whipped up some apple pies heavy with cinnamon, and your home was scented by a small pine forest; you probably overdid things. Once again, we’re talking moderation.
image courtesy of ScottieT812
