Holiday Decorations and Selling Your Home.
It wasn’t hard to notice that holiday decorations have already announced the holiday season. In fact, I saw Christmas trees and outdoor decorations out on the floor at the Big Box Home Improvement Store Before Thanksgiving (and shortly after Halloween!)
This is such a fun time of the year...unless you have your home on the market!
But just because you are selling your home doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate or give your home some festive spirit.
Below are 6 tips to remember when your home is for sale during the holidays.
1.Don’t block your buyers’ view
Your buyers are there to “try your house on for size” not look at your decorations. Don’t block one of your largest selling features (your patio door out to the pool or deck) with a giant Christmas tree.
The same is true for your fireplace if you have one. This too can be a key selling point so you’ll want to keep decorations here to a minimum. If you like hanging stockings then wait to put them up on Christmas Eve, then remove them.
2.Don’t overwhelm them with the scents of the holidays
Hard as it may seem, not everyone loves the scent of Vanilla Bean Noel or Spiced Apple Toddy. Some may even be allergic to these scents. As always, the best scent for a home on the market is the scent of CLEAN!
If your home has taken on the scent of last night’s dinner or a wet Rover, vinegar is excellent at removing unwanted odors.
Bowls of fresh lemons or a few cinnamon sticks tucked away don’t overwhelm the senses.
3.Don’t forget that curb appeal is still important even during the holidays
Consider saving the giant blown up Santa or Snowman for your new home. Many distract buyers from seeing what your home really looks like. And, deflated Santas do nothing for curb appeal when buyers drive by during the day.
4.Don’t throw common sense out the door.
Much as we’d like to say that buyers will have been vetted by their agent, you still have no idea who will be entering your home. Leaving wrapped gifts under the tree can be tempting.
5. Don’t make your buyers have take detours to see your house.
Wreaths can make lovely decorations on the front door but not when a buyer has to navigate around them just to get through the front door.
The same goes for your Christmas tree. Don’t make your buyer have to go through hoops just to get through a room or out the patio door to see the backyard area.
6.Don’t forget the basic principles of staging...keep it simple, with a minimum of distractions.
Keep in mind that your buyers want to see the possibilities of your property. They need to see the space. They want to see how their furnishings and their lives will fit into this space.
Let them see it!
Keep decorations simple.
Opt for one size appropriate decoration rather than lots of little reindeer and angels on every flat space.
And one more thing...
Religious decorations-consult your agent first, however, my personal opinion (and what I tell my clients) is that this is 2017. We live in South Florida and are blessed to live with many different religions and faiths.
Unless what you have falls into the above 6 categories, that is to say it is distracting or just too much, then don’t worry.
This is the time of year when we all want to enjoy our homes with friends and family. Just because you might be selling yours shouldn’t put a huge damper on it.
Keep staging principles in mind (don’t distract or detract) and enjoy your holidays.
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