The holiday season can certainly propose a hassle in maintaining a home's presentation for selling, but sellers need to keep in mind the hassle may bring forth the best holiday gift ever - a buyer. Home buyers looking to make a move are typically more serious at this time. If they're willing to head out and deal with the weather, and put a stop to their holiday celebrating to shop for a home, they're usually determined to find one and fast.
Here's 5 Easy Tips To Staging Your Home During The Holidays
1. Create a simple & elegant exterior. Keep your treasured plastic snowmen figurines and giant blow up Santa in their boxes this year. You’ll want house hunters to notice your house, not the decorations. Instead, use fresh greenery found at any fresh tree farm for garland with white (the ultimate neutral) twinkle lights and add a simple welcoming wreath to your front door. Make a simple wreath to hang on your front door with holiday colors that blend in with and dress up your home's exterior colors. I typically cringe when I see a floral wreath are on a front door, but for the holidays I can make an exception. And don't overdo the lights, you don’t need to light it up like an airport runway. For sophisticated taste and pops of color fill up your entryway pots with hearty mums or poinsettias.
2. Keep the holiday spirit limited to just one main living area. Skip the urge to decorate each room in the home and show off all of your holiday snow globe collections. Collections equal clutter. Avoid filling banisters and staircases with garland or lighting. You don't want anything to obstruct the view of woodwork or other house features.
3. Keep the Holiday decor simple and avoid religious decorations. While a few tasteful decorations can enhance your home's attractiveness to buyers, too much holiday cheer may drive them away. Neutral holiday decorations such as greenery, lights, candles or other winter themed decorations can all help add that special holiday touch without alienating buyers. As in typical staging, religious crosses, statues and pictures should be out of view making your house as neutral as possible.
3. Keep the Holiday decor simple and avoid religious decorations. While a few tasteful decorations can enhance your home's attractiveness to buyers, too much holiday cheer may drive them away. Neutral holiday decorations such as greenery, lights, candles or other winter themed decorations can all help add that special holiday touch without alienating buyers. As in typical staging, religious crosses, statues and pictures should be out of view making your house as neutral as possible.
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| Pointsetta Diffuser |
4. Appeal to the senses. The sense of smell creates emotion and if it‘s a pleasant smell a good memory. You want buyer’s to remember how your house made them feel. Many people suffer from allergic reactions to artificial sprays so try simmering cider with orange slices, cinnamon and cloves on the stove or use natural essential oils in a diffuser. Pier One has some great holiday reed scented diffusers. A good rule of thumb is to stick with one scent per floor of your house.
5. Pay attention to RMLS pictures. If you or your Realtor have taken photos of your home during the holidays, retake them directly after you've removed your decorations and upload the new ones. If your agent hasn't taken them yet, and you're getting ready to decorate, make sure they take them before you begin covering your home with green and red. There's nothing worse than online photos of homes with Christmas trees and wreathes on them in February.
So stage your house just right, and the holidays can bring in a wealth of serious buyers. So go on and deck those halls, just keep these holiday staging tips in mind when you do.
4. Appeal to the senses. The sense of smell creates emotion and if it‘s a pleasant smell a good memory. You want buyer’s to remember how your house made them feel. Many people suffer from allergic reactions to artificial sprays so try simmering cider with orange slices, cinnamon and cloves on the stove or use natural essential oils in a diffuser. Pier One has some great holiday reed scented diffusers. A good rule of thumb is to stick with one scent per floor of your house.
5. Pay attention to RMLS pictures. If you or your Realtor have taken photos of your home during the holidays, retake them directly after you've removed your decorations and upload the new ones. If your agent hasn't taken them yet, and you're getting ready to decorate, make sure they take them before you begin covering your home with green and red. There's nothing worse than online photos of homes with Christmas trees and wreathes on them in February.
So stage your house just right, and the holidays can bring in a wealth of serious buyers. So go on and deck those halls, just keep these holiday staging tips in mind when you do.
