When you have your home on the market, it can be a tough question to answer. Let me preface my opinion with – I LOVE CHRISTMAS! One thing that I think is really important when you are selling your home is still trying to live a normal life. I don’t like suggestions that ask you to take down everything; a home is filled with people and it should feel warm.
When it comes to the holidays, if your family celebrates Christmas or Hanukkah or anything else and you typically decorate your home, you should still do it even if it’s on the market. However … yes, there’s a but … don’t go overboard. If you’re full-on Griswolds you may need to tone it down. Generally when I talk to clients about decluttering I tell them to take away about half of the items, so when you’re decorating for holidays, you may want to put out half of what you normally would.
Also, keep in mind, people will still be looking at your house. If you have a lot of intricate or breakable items, it may be better to leave them packed up until next year to ensure they don’t get damaged.
Don’t feel pressured to be all Martha Stewart either. Your tree doesn’t have to look like the pages of a magazine; old Christmas decorations with obvious glue chunks always bring a sense of nostalgia.
If you have a real tree, make sure you clean up after it so things look tidy. I also think the gentle glow of Christmas lights can be very inviting. Note that I said gentle glow – not mind-numbing blinking!
It’s a season of celebration and I don’t think you should feel any less celebratory just because your house is for sale.
Michelle Carre is a real estate professional with The Carre Group
