Holiday Decorating Dos and Don'ts When Listing Your Home for Sale
The weather is getting colder, the leaves have changed and are beginning to fall, Thanksgiving is so close you can almost taste the turkey. The holidays are almost in full swing and that means decorations begin popping up everywhere you look. Decorating your home is a tradition the majority of American’s participate in and if you celebrate Christmas the only question is how early is too early to put up the Christmas tree. If you are trying to sell your home in the middle of this joyous season a different set of questions may arise. Should you still put up a Christmas tree? Will you be the grinch on the street with no lights or cheer? Luckily, selling your home doesn’t need to mean you need to squash your holiday spirit, in fact done the right way it can showcase the warmth and character of your home. Knowing how to walk the line in these winter months between letting the holiday spirit flow and turning off potential buyers can seem overwhelming, but following these do’s and don’t can go a long way!
Holiday Decorating Dos:
Show off your tree!
Having a tastefully decorated Christmas tree can add to the home. It will show potential buyers where they would put their own tree and help them visualize life in your home. Having a small pile of presents is a great addition, but don’t overdo it.
Coordinate with the colors of the room.
It may seem natural to go red and green when decorating, but the design scheme matters. It is always important to make every room look as appealing as possible to prospective buyers. If your favorite decorations clash with the color scheme, you may have to wait until next year to show those off. Luckily, it is easy to find decorations that will accent your current colors. Metallic, gold, silver, and white are all colors that pair well with almost any color scheme while staying festive.
Decorate to accent attractive architecture features.
Decorating can provide subtle opportunities to highlight the architectural assets your home has. You can showcase your fireplace by adding a strand of lights or classy knit stockings. Use garland to wrap around the beautifully curved staircase to make it stand out.
Use exterior decorations.
Add curb appeal to your home by adding tasteful decorations outside of the home. A classic wreath, subtly lit shrubbery, or a bow on the mailbox are all great ways to add color and provide a welcoming atmosphere to the prospective buyer.
Listen to the advice of your home stager or realtor.
It is their job to ensure you are showing your house in the best way possible. It is easy to go overboard with decorations or decorate the way you have for years, but they will be able to tell you if your decorations will take away from your home.
Holiday decoration Don'ts:
Depersonalize the decorations.
Holiday decorations are full of the ornaments made in art class and homemade stockings. While these are full of sentimental value and are priceless, to a buyer they can look tacky and distract from the home. Save these for next year and go for a more classic look while trying to sell the home.
Don’t go full “Who-ville”
Life size Santa on the roof, inflatable snowmen in the yard, and thousands of lights inside and out may scream Happy Holidays to any and all that see them, but to a potential buyer it can be a turn off. These kinds of decorations will distract from your home and focus attention on the flare. Classic decorations are the way to go. Avoid noise makers and moving objects as well.
Don’t cover assets of the home.
It is important to not take away from the beautiful features your home has to offer. Windows are a common place that decorations get placed. Candles in the windowsill and of course the tree right in front, while doing this you could be blocking the natural light that can be a huge selling point. Hanging lights around the whole room can hide the gorgeous crown molding. Use the accents to highlight these jewels while taking care not to obstruct them.
If you are able to reach the correct balance when decorating your home during the holidays it can be a huge advantage to you. Your home will exude warmth and charm that is only achieved during this time of year. Remember, less is more when decorating to sell. Having classic and aesthetically pleasing decorations will give the potential buyer to see the house as a home and gives them a vision of where their own Christmas tree will go. If you aren’t sure how to achieve the correct balance VNTG place specializes in home staging and they can help stage and decorate your home to be a buyer’s dream. Call or visit the website today and see the miracles they can provide for you. Go ahead and decorate, celebrate what may just be your last holiday season in your current home!
