Home Staging During the Holidays

Generally speaking, selling a house over the holidays is NOT an easy feat. Rest assured, there can be some advantages to having your house on the market during the last part of the year. For one thing, there are fewer homes on the market during the winter, which will ensure that your home will receive more traffic than it would at peak season. With the competition pool being smaller, anyone looking at homes during the winter tends to be serious buyers. However, to convert online marketing traffic into showings, you’ll want your home staging to be inviting and appealing to a broad audience. One of the most significant concerns in home staging during the holidays is whether the festive decor helps (or hurts) home sales. Let’s find out: 

 

Holidays and Home Sales

Selling a house during Christmas time can be challenging, especially if you are one of those people that has to go all-out when it comes to decorating. Additionally, it can be hard to keep a show-worthy home in tip-top shape, thanks to all the shopping, gift wrapping, and entertaining going on. With a few simple tips, you can use holiday decor to sell your home faster, so next year you can celebrate in your new home.

 

Reach a Broad Audience

 

Decorated houses do show better around the holidays — but DON’T go crazy. The holidays are a great time to use cozy and friendly decorations to your advantage. Just try to keep your decorations neutral. Think: less is more this year. 

 

Nix the Personalized Touches

Additionally, be sure to keep out any personalized photos, stockings, or other decorations. When showing your home, your goal is to allow the audience to picture themselves living in your home. It’s difficult to imagine yourself in a home if you’re distracted by Timmy and Sally’s stockings hanging along the mantle. Try to focus on more generic decor and leave out any personal or religious material so that you can appeal to people from all walks of life. 

 

Choose Your Color Palette Wisely

When it comes to color, try and complement your color palette with that of your home. Consider the style of the house, as well. If your home is a Mediterranean style, you’ll do well to use traditional burgundy or crimson, dark greens, and gold. Ranch-style homes have a little more wiggle room, dependant on the color inside. 

 

Think of the Tree Like Furniture

The tree is often the centerpiece of a home; it’s where the presents collect and where the family gathers to open them. Plus, they make a beautiful backdrop for holiday photos. However, much like furniture staging basics, choose a tree that is not too big for your space. If you have tall ceilings, you can still get a tall tree, but make sure it is slim so as not to take up too much room. You want there to be open space to potential buyers can imagine their furniture there. 

 

Impersonal Tree Ornaments are Key

Decorate the tree using a neutral color palette with impersonal ornaments. Don’t overdo it either; use fewer ornaments than you would typically put on. An overcluttered tree becomes an eyesore that detracts from the rest of the room. Decorate the tree, but leave plenty of blank space. They’ll even picture putting their ornaments on your tree!

 

Do Not Decorate with Real Gifts

Perhaps most importantly, do not leave actual gifts under the tree during showings. The general rule of thumb is: do not leave out anything of value, because it may be too tempting for some. While realtors do their best to keep everyone honest, things do happen. Put away gifts for safety and replace them with wrapped empty cardboard boxes. Amazon boxes will do the trick, nicely!

 

Ask a Utah Home Staging Expert for Help

With a little luck and persistence, you can successfully sell your home over the holiday season. Keep your house free of clutter, use a neutral color palette, and don’t be afraid to recruit a professional to help stage the home properly. As a Salt Lake City home staging company, Our Nest Designs works with both realtors and homeowners alike, specializing in staging homes for sale. Call us today at 801-913-8962 to schedule your initial consultation. You never know, Santa may bring you a home buying offer for under the tree this year.