Holiday Decorating When You Are Selling Your Home - Is It Okay?

Any professional home stager will tell you that even one piece of art can be a distraction in a home, so what about a six foot Christmas tree?

My motto during the holidays (and for home staging in general) is "KIES." In other words, Keep It Elegant and Simple. Your holiday decorating must be kept simple and nondenominational (no religious items).  "KIES"also applies to your front yard.  Under no circumstances should you setup a twelve foot nativity scene that spans your entire front yard or a six foot tall Chanukah menorah that lights up at night.

Outside Holiday Decorating Tips:

Using plain white lights on your trees and bushes look very festive and really do not scream any specific holiday. White lights can also help to illuminate your home at night and help potential buyers take a better look at your property. When you are decorating your home while it is on the market, think WINTER not Christmas or Chanukah. A seasonal pine wreath on your front door is another nice touch and smell great when a potential buyer enters your home.  Please stay away from the new blow up holiday decorations that require a blower and constant power to look nice; if a potential home buyer drives by your home during the day all they will see are "deflated balloons" all over your front yard! That really does not scream fantastic curb appeal.

Inside Holiday Decorating Tips:

Your inside decorations need to be kept to a minimum.  For Christmas, a six foot Christmas tree in the corner of one room with white lights and blue and silver balls is all you should setup. A taller, thin tree is ideally what you should use. Stick to two colors for your Christmas theme, such as blue and silver or even gold and silver.  Remember, less is more when your home is on the market.

A few empty presents that are wrapped under the Christmas tree will finish your holiday look.  Please only leave your Christmas tree up for about 10 days and it must be down before the New Year.

Vanilla candles with seasonal pine and pine cones are also great for centerpieces on tables and will leave your home smelling fantastic during this Holiday season.  Glass jars filled with blue and silver holiday balls also make great centerpieces and you can find everything you need to decorate at the local dollar store.

If you cannot bear the though of not having your holiday religious items out, please buy a large plastic container to have on standby.  If you receive a call to show your home during the holiday season, quickly pack away your religious items (e.g., menorahs and nativity sets) and store them out of sight.

Keeping Your Buyer's Comfortable:

New York winters can get pretty cold, so please keep the temperature in your home set between 68-70 degrees.

Please shovel any snow and ice off your walkways and driveways to make it easy for a buyer to get into your front door.

Make sure you have an extra large floor matt so buyers can wipe their feet after they enter your home.

Make sure you leave out both paper towels and tissues since cold winter weather causes noses and eyes to run. When a buyer is walking through your home, everything should be easy.

Please leave your outside lights on after 5:00 pm, if a buyer cannot locate your home how are you going to sell your home?

Final Thoughts:

Some home stagers will disagree and tell the homeowners not to put out one holiday decoration. In my opinion, this is not a realistic goal for a family that has celebrated every previous holiday in a home that they love. By explaining to the homeowner where to place their tree and the time-frame to keep the tree up, most homeowners are very receptive to the idea. Selling a home is a very stressful time in a person's life and having a small Christmas tree up for a week will most likely not delay the sale of their home.  An exterior of a home decorated very well with white lights might even attract some additional positive buyer attention.

 - Kate

Kate's Home Staging and Redesign now sells semi-custom window coverings at discount prices. Our window coverings include roman shades, Levolor and Dynasty blinds, faux wood blinds, bamboo blinds, woven wood blinds, cornices, valances, sheers, and drapes. Our roman shades can be ordered in 100% pure silk, linen, cotton, or designer fabric. We also offer Benjamin Moore color consultations and test color boards, interior decorating, home staging, and interior design. Please visit http://www.kateshomestaging.com for more info or call 845-538-3623. All window covering appointments include a free 30 minute design consultation for the same room. We serve Passaic County and Bergen County of New Jersey and Rockland County and Orange County of New York, basically the lower Hudson Valley. We are an affiliate member of the Passaic County of Realtors, a member of RESA, ASHSR.