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Help! 83 Days til Christmas - To Decorate or not to decorate???

I have a client putting her home on the market in the next few weeks - just before Halloween!

She is a terrific client - and very motivated.

Which is why she is putting her house on the market over the holidays.

Handling the celebrations of Halloween and Thanksgiving are easy for her -- She is doing seasonal generic wreaths and that is about it.

However, our BIG problem is Christmas!

She is looking forward to puttting up her tree - but without the cute ornaments crafted by her children.

I don't have a problem with that because many times Buyers are curious where to put up the tree.

What suggestions do you have for staging during the holidays!

For instance: what about Menorahs and Mangers?

Do you wrap presents and leave them under the tree or keep them in gift bags or in the closet at all times?

Candles in the windows and lights on the house? Reindeer on the front lawn?

You can see our dilemma! Thanks!

NOTE: Maureen Henry's comment really draws the line in the sand...Should we even decorate?

Margaret Innis
Owner & Principal of Decorate To Sell, LLC
Why be "For Sale" when you can be "Sold!"™
Visit our website www.DecToSell.com

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Posted by Margaret Innis - We Stage New England on 10/03/2008 03:08 PM

Comments (18)

holidays, staging

Originally posted at: Why be "For Sale" when you can be "Sold!"(tm): Help! 83 Days til Christmas - To Decorate or not to decorate???

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18 Comments on Help! 83 Days til Christmas - To Decorate or not to decorate???

OCT

2008

Margaret - I had to deal with this a couple of years ago when we put our own home on the market over the holidays. Since we lived in a pretty diverse area I decided I would go with really simple decorations. We didn't put up our usual tree (with thirty plus years of decorations.) Instead, I put up a table-top four foot tree and only put white lights and simple ornaments. We did a wreath on the front door and candles in the windows and that was it.

I figured that if I kept out the really specific decorations I'd have a better chance of having our house appeal to as many buyers as possible.

I advise people not to decorate for the holidays - I tell the clients that potential buyers should not be able to profile you and this includes religious affiliations. If they have small children I suggest putting up just the tree for a few days and taking it right back down.

I think the most important thing is to have the MLS photos taken without any decorations. There is nothing sadder than a Christmas tree in July.

Lynn - Your editing the Christmas tree and keeping the lights white is easy to live with and celebrate the holiday. Where was the table top tree located? My client is a sweet heart and could live with the table top tree on the sideboard in the dining room - not sure though. Thank you for stopping by!

Maureen - Your suggestion of the tree for just a few days could work for us, too. Your words "profile you" are so true. Anything that takes away from the house is a distraction. However, at the holidays do you think buyers are more open and forgiving of these distractions? Thank you for your comment and insight.

Margaret ~ I believe that minimal holiday decorating is best when selling. What about seasonal, rather than holiday, decor instead? Using the colors of the Fall season and then wreaths are pretty generic, and you could use boughs or branches to bring the outdoors in.....and candles add a nice touch too while still remaining "generic" and not offending anyone. P.S. Can't believe we're talking about Christmas already -- yikes.

Margaret -NOOOOooooo its to early yet to start the countdown the stores are still in the Halloween mode.

OCT

2008

Margaret - I think you also have to consider the area. I live in Rockalnd County NY - Wickipedia describes it as having the highest percentage of Jewish residents in NY state. There are a lot of Hasidic areas. I think it just makes some people uncomfortable. But if you live in an area of the country where almost everyone is Cristian then a tasteful Christmas tree would be appropriate.

I think you just have to know your market.

The Maureens have it! Tasteful seasonal decorating such as a bowl of pinecones and greenery may do the trick, and it's most important to know your buyer. Unfortuantely, no decorating may be the way to go for families having to sell during the holidays - but just think! You can telll them they won't have to clean it up and pack it up later! Less stress...Happy Staging - Julie

Hey Margaret,

Yes, great minds do think alike and think ahead. For Halloween I think a few simple fall harvest decorations are great. At Christmas, I think a tree with white lights and a wreath on the door is great.

The problem I find is convincing the client that less is better. I personally love decorating for the holidays(my own home). My husband is convinced that I am trying to get our house noticed from outer space at night with all the lights I put up. When we moved into our new subdivision a few years ago, it was very dark at night. When Christmas rolled around and I decorated outside, you could see the glow of our house blocks away!!!

OCT

2008

Julia, Maureen & Maurren - It is all about the market - and all real estate is local. And if they get everything packed now there really will be less stress.

Belinda - Do you stop traffic and collect money for the food pantry like my neighbors! LOL! I actually think we are going with seasonal -- And, this is about having a conversation with the client and compromising - sometimes choices are easier than decisions. If I can give her 3 options - she can choose and then we will compromise. Does that make sense? The client is very motivated and willing to pick and choose what to use from her boxes of Holiday Decor. She is going through it this week - and what she doesn't need or use she is giving away. This is really the perfect time to do it before we get any closer to the holidays. Thanks Belinda!

Barrie - Halloween! PS - Love my search graphic - thank you!

OCT

2008

I'm not a realtor therefore I see things with a different perspective that you may find helpful...or not. :)

In my opinion,

There is nothing more beautiful and inviting than a home tastefully decorated for Christmas.
I understand the realtors dilemma with our country having such diverse cultures and religion. Some people are great at decorating and some not so. I'd use pictures of a decorated home if it looks like Martha Stewart lives there. This is the type of feel that you would love to be able to produce in May. Now is your chance to bring out the armor to create that warm fuzzy effect. Just retake the photos of the main living areas after the New Year.

OCT

2008

Margaret - your welcome and FYI absolutely no script involved to aggravate the active rain gods

OCT

2008

Margaret, I agree it depends on the demographics. MLS pics before it is decorated for the holiday would be ideal. I think decorating tasteful and simple is great. One word of warning no gifts under the tree. I would hate for anything to be stolen.

OCT

2008

Hi Margaret,

I'm having trouble with Halloween! ;o)

If you must put up a tree, I suggest decorating it with tasteful seasonal ornaments. Here in New England, we can get away with a beautiful tree, lights and a few items from nature to give the room a festive and cozy feel without it screaming Christmas. Pinecones, birds and nuts to name a few should do the trick.

No need for gifts, take pics before (and after) and make sure the tree isn't too big.

OCT

2008

hi, Margaret:
For holiday decorating, I believe in several things:

Keep it simple inside - just the basics.

Religious decorations should be kept tasteful and appropriate. I would NEVER tell some one they should not put out their Manger or Menora. But I will state that people are funny, and if they feel like they just walked into a church on Sunday they are not likely to envision themselves living in the house.

Lastly, some times you have to keep up with the Joneses: in certain areas of Austin, some neighborhoods do the proverbial themed streets for Christmas. Nothing is more awkward looking than the one house that fails to play along. Some times, you have to blend in...

On a side note:: I ordered my Business Christmas Cards this week. Last year I ordered after Thanksgiving, and they did not turn out properly, but I had no other choice than to use them..Some thing to think about...

OCT

2008

Margaret, I couldn't resist.

You mean THIS is too much. ????

halloween

This poor house was SO overdone in every respect! I think that my report was about 10 pages long. AND the homeowner is a RE agent. I knew when I did the consult that this house would not sell, and it's a nice house but you cannot see it.

BTW this photo is from halloween 2 years ago and I imagine that the same decor is up today because it is still on the market. It's too bad and a bit scary.

SEP

I agree with Maureen that your MLS photos should NOT have any holiday decorations in them. We certainly do not want to remind a potential home buyer that our home is not selling quickly.

But, I enjoy the holidays. I think you can put up neutral holiday decorations. In other words, white lights on your trees outside will help light up your home at night and are also feastive. Inside, I like to use gold and silver balls in clear glass containers to place on tables. This can be left out for Christmas and New Years and is festive but does not really have a religious affiliation. I also like pine-cones and snowmen, they represent winter to me rather than Christmas. If a home has small children (and is being sold), a Christmas tree can be put up around Dec 18 and taken down right after the holiday. The tree needs to be kept very simple, with only white lights, silver bells, and ribbon (one color only). I would recommend a tall, thin tree so it does not over-power the room and make the room look to small.

OCT

I find it funny if I walk in a house mid December and there is nothing..no holiday decor at all. I recommend keeping it simple but be sure to have a happy house.

NOV

Hi Margaret - Absolutely! Sometimes buyers want to know where to put the tree or other significant piece. I wrote this blog a year ago - time flies!

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