From Halloween to Ho, Ho, Ho’s: How to Decorate for the Holidays and Still Sell Your Home

You are in the process of selling your home when all the holiday festivities begin.  Sure, you have cleaned, de-cluttered, and staged your home and it looks beautiful.  The holidays come and you can’t decide whether to leave things as it is or get into the holiday spirit.  Sure, some buyers won’t appreciate the decorations, but then again some might.  Seeing a home tastefully and elegantly decorated for the holidays may inspire some buyers to envision themselves enjoying the holidays with family and friends, inviting warm feelings of home.  Then again, a home decorated in tacky and off putting décor may make some buyers turn up their noise and go running for the hills.  The decision is yours, but, to make sure those holiday decorations do more for the sale of your home rather than hinder it, just follow a few simple rules of thumb to have a great holiday season while still trying to sell your home.     

           

           The most important to thing to remember when decorating for the holidays while trying to sell your home is that less is more.  Overdoing the decorations so that your home can be seen by the international space station is never a good idea when showing your home to prospective buyers.  Add some subtle touches here and there that convey the holiday spirit rather than beat buyers over the head with it.  Also, use your common sense and avoid anything that some might find controversial.  Sure they may be funny, but your sense of humor may get lost in translation and offend some potential buyers.  In addition, try to refrain from using too many overtly religious decorations.  Something more secular may be more appropriate as to not upset those who do not share your same spiritual beliefs.   You will also need to consider the safety of the potential buyers as they walk through your home.  Keep an eye out for any possible tripping hazards as you put up your decorations.  You may know about them and know to avoid them, but those viewing your home may not have as keen of an eye.  The last thing anyone needs is litigation over the holidays, especially if you are trying to sell your home.  One of the biggest things that you need to ensure while decorating your home for the holidays is to remember to not hide your home’s assets under excessive décor.  If your mantle is the showpiece of the room, covering it in holiday décor may just ruin the effect.  Too much holiday frills outside may hide your home’s curb appeal.  So, if you do decide to decorate for the holiday season while your house is on the market, the best thing to remember is to keep it simple.