Selling Your Home and Holiday Decorations: How Much is Too Much?

It's the holiday season, and you're in the process of selling your home. You've decided to keep your property on the market during this time because it's not difficult for you to prepare your house for showings (even during the holidays), and you figure that although not as many buyers are looking, the ones who are genuinely need to buy. Whatever the reason, your home is on the market and will remain that way through Thanksgiving into December and the coming New Year.

One of the questions that follows given the above scenario is how many decorations should you display? Or more succinctly, how much is too much? You probably already know the answer to that question. In just one word, it's minimal, or perhaps, tasteful. That being said, my strong hunch is that if you asked professional stagers this same question, they would say the appropriate answer is none. After all, the underlying concept is that the way you live in your “home,” and the way you market and sell your “house” are two different things. And I do adhere to that belief as well as the staging concepts that I expounded in The Top 10 ASP® Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home, specifically that less is more (think clutter-free) and that buyers only know what they see, not the way it’s going to be or the way it could be. But personally, I also believe in self expression, and I think you need to live in a house that you enjoy - even when it's on the market and especially during the holidays, which only come once a year. Therefore my recommendation is to "Just Do It" and have some holiday decorations in your home. But in the same breath, refrain from using multiple upon multiple strings of outdoor lights and hundreds of interior santas, angels, elves, menorahs or whichever decorative items you choose to display for the holidays.

In other words, opt for more tasteful and limited decorations. For example, on the exterior as you approach your home, you can have planters as pictured here - beautifully designed by Stems & Stalks by Linda. Or interior decorations as featured here with just a few adornments per room - those that enhance and don't overwhelm the look and those that don't distract the buyers from seeing the beauty of your property and from imagining themselves as the next owners of your home.

What are your thoughts on this subject? Have you ever been a home seller during the holidays? And if so, how did you handle holiday decorations? And how did the buyers react to your holiday displays? I can't wait to hear....

For more information on this or on the real estate market in Weston, Wellesley, Wayland and the surrounding towns, please contact me, Lisa Curlett (781-267-2844 or www.homesalesbylisa.com), to answer any questions or for a complimentary home appraisal.