Selling for Holidays: How to Prepare and Stage Your Home
Selling your home is sometimes necessary even during the holidays, and that is usually something that would worry even the jolliest among us. But although many will regard this period as not so perfect for real-estate, the truth is that house-hunting is not something that is known to rest and requires vigilance 24/7 if the buyers want to catch their perfect house in time. In order to appeal to those persistent buyers, you need to stage your home for the holiday sale. Here are some tips to help you create an interesting and inviting real estate even during the holidays.
1. Keep it neutral
Although it may be normal for you to decorate for the holiday you celebrate, the potential buyers may not be members of your religion or beliefs. Since the idea is to seduce your buyer, you can be neutral with the festive decorations. The best way to avoid specific holiday details is to use winter decors. You can still use the Christmas tree, but you can choose the white artificial one and decorate it with colour palette other than usual red. This way, you’ll use it more as an aesthetic detail than a full-blown decoration.
2. Minimalism is always the right choice
As a homeowner, you’d want to create the cosy atmosphere in your home during the holidays. On the other hand, buyers like to see the space they’re planning to buy and too many things can confuse their ideas. This doesn’t mean you should leave the bare minimum, but that you should create a decor which will allow freedom of movement and feel of the space. Holiday environments are supposed to engulf the inhabitants, but they will devour the buyers.
Few holiday candles on the fireplace, LED lights in the mason jars for the kitchen, or snowflakes on the window glass can bring out the holidays while still keep it simple. The white or silver blanket on the couch, the smell of the soft ginger cookies and hot cocoa are also some of the trade secrets experienced real estate agents will advise you about.
3. Highlight certain features
It’s always good to have a centrepiece or a focal point when staging your home. But especially during holidays, this can be helpful since it will be an added value to your decorations and can relieve some of the pressure of creating the festive decor. Namely, you can use a piece of art to highlight the living room, or you can choose a few other tricks. The dining area is perfect to place the accent on the family and how holidays are meant to bring people together by arranging the table as though the guests will arrive any minute now. Another great option is to place a few evergreen potted plants in the entryway, which will remind of the winter but be a subtle reminder of the holidays
4. Work on the exterior appeal
Homeowners are very tempted to overdo it with the exterior decorations during the holidays since they believe this is the most impersonal point of their home. If there is snow, you can rather choose to create snowmen or other sculptures, then place any holiday specific ornaments. Keep the shrubbery and hedges neat and well trimmed for decorations and LED lights. You can also use the lights along the pathway, but make sure to keep it tasteful and simple. You can achieve this by choosing the white instead of colourful lights.
5. Clear unnecessary things
The most important rule of staging your home is that you have to declutter every part of it, including the exterior. Since you’ll add some holiday decorations, you can freely pack other things which will only get in the way or don’t agree with the festive decor. Leave only those items which make your home a welcoming and attractive property, like a lush couch you can decorate with silver pillows or you, can leave that small cabinet in the hallways and decorate it with candles.
Instead of spraying your windows with artificial snow, or using sticky snowflakes on the glass, try a different approach. Decorate those Eiffel’s curtains with some lights and ornaments, like silver and gold flowers, to create your own winter magic.
Lastly
Using just a few decorations will create an unwelcoming atmosphere just like too many holiday-themed spots would make your home tacky. In the end, it all comes to you being able to control your festive mood to a reasonable amount and listen to your real estate agent’s suggestions. Even though they might celebrate the different holiday than you, the potential buyers will still expect to see your take on the winter festivities. That’s one of the reasons you should make sure your home will be attractive enough to be considered as one of the desirable properties on the market.
