Can the holiday season be a good time to sell your home? Absolutely! Houses are selling all year long, but there’s typically a decline during the fall and winter. People are planning holiday events and travel, so buying and selling real estate might not be at the top of their to-do list; not to mention, it’s cold, wet, and depending on where you live, it might be downright miserable outside. But if you’re not planning a family dinner or traveling during the holidays, and you don’t mind a little bad weather, it can be a perfect time to sell your home.
If you’ve been keeping up with your home maintenance, your house will be ready to put on the market at any time, but the holiday season will give you a unique opportunity to showcase the beauty of your home and the spirit of your neighborhood.
Lighting
Holiday lights have come a long way over the years, and they now come in more shapes and sizes than ever before. From standard string lights to LED and Solar, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Well, okay—maybe by your budget too. Some can be on the higher end cost-wise.
There are a couple of things to consider when lighting your home for the holidays.
- Never drive screws or nails into your roofing material. This can cause leaks and void your warranty. If the holidays just aren’t going to be complete without lights across your roof deck, try stringing them from the gutter, up and over the ridge cap, and back down the other side, attaching them to that gutter. Repeat the process until your roof is covered.
- Extension cords can pose tripping hazards. Keep them tucked safely out of the way.
- Use waterproof cord protectors to protect your holiday light cord connections from rain and melting snow.
Exterior Decorations
To attract the right home buyer, choose holiday decorations based on the character of your neighborhood. Also, keep in mind that many home buyers are looking at listings from other areas. Suppose your neighborhood is run down and crime-ridden, but your listing photos showcase a home that looks like it’s in a ritzy neighborhood. In that case, you could have some disappointed—and maybe even frightened—potential homebuyers when they arrive to view the home.
Ultimately choosing exterior holiday decorations is entirely up to you, but no matter what you decide, if you live in a neighborhood with CCR’s you’ll want to make sure that any exterior decorations are within the association’s guidelines.
Interior Decorations
It’s no secret that staged homes show better. A staged home gives potential homebuyers a sense of what ‘home’ might look like if they were to live there. Whether your interior decor rivals that of a magazine or it’s filled with tiny clay ornaments hand-painted by your children, there are a few things to keep in mind.
- Extension cords can pose a tripping hazard. Keep them tucked safely out of the way.
- If you hang stockings, hang them safely away from the fireplace if you have one and intend to keep a fire burning in it.
- Keep all candles away from Christmas trees and always out of the reach of small children and pets if you have them, and never leave burning candles unattended.
- Keep decorations away from in front of the exits and out of walking paths.
- Keep a designated place for muddy shoes outside the entrance, or provide protective shoe covers (booties) to help keep the floors clean.
- Place an umbrella holder near the front door for wet umbrellas.
The holidays can be a wonderful time to sell your home, and keeping the above tips in mind can help make it a safe and pleasant experience for you and your holiday home buyers.
