If your house is listed for sale should you decorate for the holiday season?

Should you put up a Christmas tree?  How much decorating is TOO much?  

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_20221202_132255-1-576x1024.jpgWe’ve been getting lots of questions from home sellers and real estate agents recently about seasonal decorating.

For most families it wouldn’t be Christmas without a huge Christmas tree with lots of packages beneath it — encroaching on much of the living room.   But it isn’t what potential buyers are wanting to see.

Your home during the holiday season should be inviting and festive – with limited decorations.  There is a happy medium when thinking about tree trimming when a home is for sale.

Here’s some tips to get you started:

  • Before bringing in the tree remove a chair, table or other non-essential furniture to another room or the garage.  Wall to wall furniture and a Christmas tree as well is a no no!
  • When placing the tree, make sure the room has good traffic flow. Don’t let it interfere with walkways or block a room’s focal point (like the fireplace).
  • Pick a slender shaped tree that takes up less room. 
  • A bounty of gifts under the tree may look festive, but potential buyers may have a different point of view.  Have a beautiful tree skirt under the tree and limit gifts to a scattered few (if any) until the big day.
  • Get Scheming!  Decorate with a color scheme — it helps provide a sophisticated and coordinated look. Save the hodge podge of multicolored and family ornaments with kid’s faces for next year in your new home.  Pick two or three colors for your tree and carry it through the holiday decorations throughout your home.
  • Light it up!  Is there a more welcoming sight than a beautiful Christmas tree lit up in a window or room? Use single-colored strands of lights and add a timer so they come on at dusk.

December house hunters are serious ones.  Make sure your home appeals to every home buyer!

Need more information about how staging can help set your home apart from others for sale?  For more ideas call Creative Concepts – Home Staging and Contracting at 503-881-0886.

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