Decorating your home during the holidays

When we are listing homes around the holiday season, our sellers always ask, “what are the rules for decorating your home while it is on the market?” Here is a quick guideline we like to share with our sellers:

• #1 - No holiday decor in listing photos

  Listing photos should be as timeless as possible and holiday decor in listing photos only serves as a timestamp of how long your home has been on the market. For example, if a buyer is looking at listing photos in the month of December and here are pumpkins on the front porch, they are going to immediately know the house has been on the market since October.

• #2 - Lightly, tastefully decorate once on the market

  Ideally we will have your home staged and under contract quickly, but if you just can’t wait to decorate (especially if you have kiddos, we get it!) keep the holiday decor minimal and tasteful. The decor should work with the staging (i.e., not preventing movement through the home or blocking any features) and should not add too much clutter.

  I have had a buyer purchase a home because it was decorated for Christmas. But when I say decorated, I mean straight out of the Pottery Barn catalogue. Christmas was very meaningful to my clients and as soon as we stepped in the door they fell in love. They could easily picture their family members visiting from England for the holidays and knew exactly where to put the Christmas tree. So I can say first hand, holiday decor CAN sell a home!

• #3 - Keep it classy and appeal to the masses!

  If you do decorate while your home is on the market, keep it traditional and classy. Think Kevin McAllister in Home Alone, not Clark Griswald in Christmas Vacation. We want to appeal to as many buyers as possible. And please keep in mind not all buyers celebrate Christmas. You certainly do not want to overwhelm or make anyone feel uncomfortable.

Our team prides ourselves on selling your home quickly. Our years of experience have provided us with a streamlined home prep and having process to get your home under contract as quickly as possible. We are confident that regardless of the time of year, we will sell your home quickly, even with some tasteful holiday decor mixed in!