Typically the spring market is known as the best time to sell your home. However, don’t overlook
the fall and winter months as a great opportunity to find more serious and motivated buyers.
Since inventory tends to be lower during these months, options are limited for these buyers.
Your home, if prepared properly, can sell quickly and at top dollar during the winter months. In
past blogs, we discussed the importance of decluttering, depersonalizing, and staging your
home before listing it for sale. As we head into the holiday months, we are often asked by our
sellers whether they can still decorate their homes for the holidays, even after decluttering and
depersonalizing their spaces. Following are some great suggestions to help tackle this issue:
Feel free to decorate your home, but keep it simple
Some families like to go all out for every holiday and have boxes and boxes filled with whimsical decorations. However, while your home is on the market we recommend keeping the decorations to a minimum. A few decorations can certainly liven up the space on a gloomy day, but keep it simple and uncrowded. If too many personal holiday decorations are set out, then buyers might feel claustrophobic and the space will come off as cluttered and tight to them. Since you
spent so much time decluttering and depersonalizing, don’t undo that neutral feeling you
accomplished too quickly by decorating every shelf, table, and room with holiday
decorations. A few mantle decorations and table centerpieces should suffice.
Forgo the lawn decorations
The blow up Snoopy and Grinch may be the highlight of
your and/or your children’s winter holidays, but while your home is actively on the
market, we recommend not adding those to the decoration list. A few white colored lights
on the home or trees can add great curb appeal and be very inviting to buyers.
Curb appeal
With green lawns going dormant in the winter and colorful flowers not
surviving cold nights, sprucing up the outside of your home is even more important now
than ever before. Make sure all fall leaves have been cleaned up, gutters are clear of
debris, dead plants have been trimmed and removed, and beds have been freshly
mulched. A nice seasonal wreath on the door creates a welcoming feel to any buyer
coming through your home.
Smells!
What an opportune time to make your home smell the best it can! Before
showings and/or an Open House, warm up a pot of water on the stovetop, throw in some
orange peels, a couple of cinnamon sticks, a splash of vanilla, and a dash of nutmeg.
Set at a low simmer for a few hours and your home will soon smell wonderful! When
buyers walk in the door, the enticing smells will invoke memories of baking and family!
Keep it warm
Nothing is more inviting than coming into a warm home when it is cold
and gloomy outside. Make sure your heat is set to provide a consistent cozy feel in the
home throughout the day. Buyers will feel comfortable and will stay longer!
Light it up
Make sure you have plenty of lighting in each room and that lightbulbs
match and are working. Before a showing, turn them all on, even holiday lights
(preferably just white ones). When days are short and gray, having a lit up home creates
a welcoming feeling and enables buyers to see all of the wonderful features of your
home
Remember, the simpler you are with your holiday decorations, the more you will appeal to a
wide range of buyers. In turn, your home may go under contract in fewer days and then you can
break out all of your favorite decorations and enjoy the holidays with your family and friends!
Below are examples of a few of the homes we have listed during the holidays and how our
sellers made great use of their decorations without overdoing it.
Who wouldn’t want to stay for a while?
An inviting foyer without feeling crowded
Perfect seasonal centerpiece
Simple decorations that still feel welcoming
