There are split opinions whether to leave or put a house on the market over the holidays. Most however agree – don’t sell if you don’t have to! What is the reasoning behind this?
- both buyers and sellers are busy with other things over the holidays.
- it gives the impression that you are desperate to sell your house often resulting in lowball offers
- if you take your house off the market and put it back on in the early spring market, it will be a fresh listing
- you don’t have to deal with the life disrupting showings during this busy season of family time, friends time, holiday parties, rushing from store to store, enjoying your evenings in front of the fireplace,…
For those who have decided they need to sell quickly, or have to put the house on the market during the Holiday season, the best advice is to ditch the Holiday décor. If not done properly, it can backfire if it comes across as overdone. Decorating also defeats the purpose of de-cluttering and showing off the most positive features of your home – If you already have a smaller living room and stuff the room with a big tree, if your beautiful fireplace is the best feature in the room and you hide it underneath some garlands, if you have a beautiful valley view and have candle holders in the windows distract from the view.
Compromises for those who still insist:
- use a smaller tree
- make space for wrapped presents in a closet
- use ethical neutral décor
- use trendy décor colors
- lights, bulbs, garlands are ok, but leave off those family hangings
- have the real estate agent take the listing photos BEFORE decorating – so your house does not show as a stale listing in a month from now
Happy Holidays!
