When your home is listed for sale or auction during the holiday season, you might wonder if you can or should bother putting out your usual festive decorations. You can use these practical tips for holiday decorating while your home is on the market without deterring potential buyers.
Finish Decorating Quickly
Before you start putting out your holiday decorations, you should make a plan to finish the project as quickly as possible. Dragging out your decorating can make your home look unfinished and unwelcoming.
It can also turn away people who would otherwise want to tour your house and possibly make an offer or bid on it. You should try to wrap up your decorating for the holidays within a couple of days, if not faster, if you want it to sell.
Avoid Over-Decorating
You also need to give some thought to what kinds of lights, inflatables and other decorations to use. You may find that if you go overboard with your holiday decorating you could actually make your house look haphazard and overwhelming for potential buyers.
You should also remember to draw attention to your house more than to the decorations you put out for the season. As you hang your lights, trim your trees and inflate your inflatables, you should remember that less is more when decorating your house while it is on the market.
Create an Inclusive Atmosphere
Potential buyers may skip over your house if you create an unwelcoming environment. For example, if you use an overtly religious theme in your decorating, you could turn away buyers who may not share your beliefs or find the theme off-putting. When you want to make every potential buyer feel comfortable viewing your home, you should try to appeal to as wide an audience as possible with your holiday decorating.
Avoid Clutter
You also need to make your home accessible to buyers. If you fill your yard with large decorations and extension cords, you could create an obstacle for people to actually get to your front door.
A clutter of decorations can obscure the curbside view of your home. People may not be able to see how large the front windows are or how spacious your front porch is. To ensure people can get a good look and easy access to your house, you should avoid cluttering your yard and your home’s exterior with decorations.
Stay Within the Home’s Color Palette
You may find it helpful to keep your decorations within the exterior color of your home. Staying within a certain color range with your decorating can prevent your house from looking garish or comical. This tip can make your house look more appealing, even with holiday decorations hanging from it, which can help attract rather than turn away potential buyers.
Decorate the Backyard
Finally, decorating your backyard for the holidays can also help draw attention to some of the best features your home offers. For example, if you have an in-ground swimming pool or gazebo in the backyard, you can hang lights or garlands to direct buyers’ attention to them. You create a cohesive look to the entire property when you include the backyard in your holiday decorating.
Have more questions about holiday decorating when your home is on the market? Send them my way at pthessen1@gmail.com.
-submitted by Perry Thessen
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