How to Stage a Home to Sell During the Holidays
If you do happen to be trying to sell a home during the holiday season, there are some important home staging tips to keep in mind to make your property as appealing as possible to buyers. While it is okay to put our holiday décor while selling, there are some crucial guidelines to follow to make sure they don’t inadvertently turn off buyers and make your home sit on the market longer than it needs to.
Here are some home staging tips for the holidays that will make your home more appealing to buyers and help it sell faster:
Home Staging Tips for the Holidays
Declutter
Decluttering your house is a must during any season. Even if your home is already well-organized for everyday life, it still needs to be decluttered even further to be ready for the market. Take it a step further and par down the items on your surfaces, thin out your bookshelves and get rid of furniture that is blocking traffic.
You should also remove personal photographs, get rid of signs of pets, make necessary repairs, and neutralize the color palette. All these things will keep buyers from getting distracted and help them imagine the home as their own.
Keep It Simple
When it comes to holiday décor, you want to keep it as simple as possible if your home is up for sale. While lots of holiday knick-knacks, lights, and dancing Santas may look great in your personal home, it’s best to not think of your home as your personal space while it’s up for sale. You have to think about what your buyers see as they walk through the house. You are packaging a product for sale, not personalizing one.
Some holiday décor is okay, so long as it is kept to a minimum. Avoid overtly religious décor (opt for snowmen rather than a nativity scene, for instance) and childish décor, instead choosing simple, elegant décor.
Complement Your Color Palette
After you’ve neutralized your home’s color palette for sale, you’ll want to add in some subtle accents of color. When you start decorating for the holidays, stick with the accent colors you chose. For instance, if you have blue as an accent, don’t bring in a lot of red and green for the holidays which will inevitably clash with your home staging. Instead, opt for holiday décor that has a complimentary blue and other neutrals such as white, silver and gold.
Accentuate the Positives
You can use your holiday décor when selling a home to accentuate the best features of your property. For example: if you have a beautiful fireplace, hang some garland or a few stockings on the mantel. If you have tall ceilings in the foyer or living room, take advantage of it with a very tall tree. Outside, you can draw buyers’ attention to the landscaping with some Christmas lights (though don’t go overboard with them, keep it elegant).
Go Light on Outdoor Décor
When you are selling a home during the holidays, it’s not the time to try to win any neighborhood contests for the house with the best Christmas lights. Like the interior, keep the décor simple and elegant. A wreath on the door, simple white lights trimming the house, and some garland on the mailbox are all great examples of holiday décor for home staging.
For more tips on seasonal décor for home staging, watch Megan’s free Home Staging Webinar!