Holiday Decorating While Selling

Your new job is waiting, and you need to sell your house right away. We’ve entered the holiday season, so now you have to decide if and how much you should decorate your home. Too little might say, “Scrooge”, and too much says, “National Lampoon”. How much is enough?

First, take a look at your neighborhood. Do your neighbors go all out, or do they settle for a few lights and a wreath on the door? You want your home to be attractive, but you don’t want it to look out of place. There are some seemingly conflicting bits of advice out there from the experts. Some of them think you should completely forego decorations, regardless of what your neighbors do. It’s pretty much a judgement call. However, they all agree that overkill is bad.

Lights are pretty basic, as long as you don’t go overboard. They can serve as a highlight to your home in the dark. Most of the experts prefer white, but colors are okay if you don’t overdo it. A beautiful wreath on the door is much better than a sign welcoming Santa or something like that. In any event, do not use the giant inflatable figures!

Another area of concern is displaying signs of your personal beliefs. The experts think you can show this with the wreath you choose to display. If you celebrate Christmas, the wreath should be made with evergreen and some pine cones. Kwanzaa can be indicated by adding some red berries to the wreath. If you celebrate Hanukkah, hang a wreath with shades of blue.

The inside of the house is important, too. Less is best, here, also. If you have children, you can hardly act like it’s not a special time. You can hang some tasteful stockings or put out a poinsettia plant, but keep most of the personal and homemade items in storage for your new home. Don’t hang up all the greeting cards you get, either. You should be sure the tree isn’t so large that it overwhelms the room, or so small that it looks like Charlie Brown’s tree.

Do use holiday scents, like boiling some cinnamon in cider. The bathroom can be stocked with some special soaps with pine or peppermint scents.

Take the precaution of locking any gifts in your trunk, or somewhere off-site, especially if you are having frequent viewings or open houses. This will protect them from people who attend these things for purposes other than just buying a house.

A good way to know how much to do is to consult your real estate agent. The Casey O’Neal Team can give you whatever advice you need about staging your home for a quick sale, no matter what season it is!