We all want to enjoy the holidays, even when we have a house up for sale. The holiday season(October through January) is a great time to add a bit of color and life to a home. But there are some simple guidelines to follow when decorating your home for the holidays while your home is on the market, as even though you’re still living in the home, it’s still being shown to prospective buyers and as such you have to consider how a buyer is going to react to your holiday decorations.
It seems that many people begin Christmas decorations in November before Thanksgiving has even been celebrated. As a homeowner selling a home during the holidays we recommend that our clients follow a set time frame for decorating for the different holidays, as there is a time to draw attention to the home and when the various holiday decorations will be the most effective. When decorations linger too long it represents a sign that the homeowner may not be concerned with taking care of the home. Thus, be sure you invest the time to set up and remove the decorations in a timely fashion.
Halloween: October 1st through November 1st
Thanksgiving: November 1st through November 26th
Christmas: November 26th through December 28th
By following these dates, then the home will represent the actual holiday during it’s official holiday season and will also help you, as the homeowner, keep the home ready for showings during the holiday season.
Here are our Recommendations for Holiday Decorating while a home is on the Market:
§ One of the first things we recommend to homeowners is to avoid putting wreathes on the front door. Yes, it seems to be great for others, but not while the home is being shown because things hanging on a door move and cause buyers to feel uncomfortable or they create a tight feeling for buyers walking through the door. If you want to place a wreath outside, consider hanging it in another location or placing it on a stand near the front door.
§ Use seasonal color plants in pots along your walkways, front porch and near your front door. The pop of color will help draw attention to the front of the home and guide buyers to the front door. Consider Poinsettias from November 26ththrough January 2nd, Chrysanthemums from October 1st through November 26th, Pansies anytime during the holiday season and through the Winter. There are many varieties to select from and other types of plants that may do well in your local area, so ask your local gardening center for advice on your selection.
§ Limit the areas you decorate. Focus your decorations where they will have the most affect in creating a good feeling for the home for buyers, like the Dining Room table and sideboard, the Fireplace mantel, the coffee table, the Kitchen Island, the front entry table (if the entry is large enough). If you desire a Christmas Tree, remember to keep it sized for the area it will be located and still allows ample walk area for buyers to walk through the home and around the furniture. If you have a smaller home, then consider using a small tree on the Dining Room table or coffee table.
§ It is important to ensure that your decorations never hinder buyer’s movement or positive experience of the home. Our general rule of thumb is to hold your arms our straight against your side, then bend your elbows allowing your hands to drop towards your side. In this position walk through the home, if you have to move your hands to walk through a space, then the space is too tight for buyers to walk through comfortably.
§ Holiday lighting can greatly add appeal and interest to a home, especially during the evening hours. Again, it is best to limit your lighting so that it accentuates the architectural features of the home, draws buyer’s attention to the front door, and overall enhances the evening appeal of the home.
§ Lastly, we recommend avoiding the display of religious symbols in your holiday decorations. Realizing that the holidays have special religious reverence and that many desire to express this reverence during this time of the year, it is important to remember that this isn’t a time to offend buyers either. A buyer may have different religious views or none at all and by overly displaying your personal religious symbols there is the chance that you may offend a potential buyer or that buyer may not fully appreciate the home because the focus is no longer on the home, but on a particular religious representation.
Go ahead and decorate for the holidays, just remember there is an appropriate time to do so and an appropriate way of decorating while the home is on the market, even when your neighbors and stores are doing differently. You can still enjoy the holidays, keep the house up for sale, and limit your stress of keeping the home show ready.
If you’d like assistance or some other ideas, we’d love to assist you, so please feel free to contact us anytime.
May this holiday season bring you blessings of the successful sale of your home and allow you and your family to begin the New Year afresh in a new home!
However you celebrate the Holidays, if you celebrate them or not …
Looking to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas? Professional real estate agent Patricia Young specializes in helping buyers and sellers invest in real estate in Denton County and in surrounding neighborhood."This "client first" philosophy has always been her approach and it requires them to continually improve their skills and ways of doing business.So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas, please contact us.
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