HOME & HEARTH

Selling Your Home? Here’s How to Decorate During the Holidays

By Katherine Gotthardt

There’s no place like home for the holidays, and if you’re like many people, you love bringing out that décor that reminds you of years past and present. But if you’re looking to put your home on the market, decorating can become a challenge, no matter what holidays you celebrate. The sights, sounds and smells of the festive season can easily overtake your home, making it difficult for potential buyers to recognize the space and amenities it offers. Fortunately, there are ways to work around this problem and still enjoy decorating, according to Peggy Burke, Associate Broker at Virginia Realty Partners, Long and Foster Real Estate.

Finding the Right Balance

First, Burke advises, address the issues of too much “stuff.” Those bears, moose, Santas, candles and angels have a place, but it’s in your new home next year, not this home this year. “Just put out a few very special things,” she says. “If there is too much out there making it difficult for visitors to walk around, it will make your house appear much smaller than it is. And you leave open the possibility that something will get knocked over and broken. So, remember that less is more during the brief period of time when you’re selling your home.”

Next, Burke suggests toning down the smells. Many homeowners use plug-ins, candles or incense sticks during the holidays, and rightly so. Holidays make us think of pumpkins, cinnamon, pine needles, vanilla and gingerbread, she says. But remember, there are many people looking at your house who may have allergies. And, “Some will think you are covering up other smells, like possibly mold or pet odors.”

So, what can you do to keep your home smelling festive? “The best thing I can suggest to make your home smell cozy and inviting is to bake cookies,” she said.

Now if you are thinking making cookies will just make a mess, Burke says to keep it simple. Buy some break-apart cookies to throw in the oven half an hour before a showing, and leave them for the buyers and their agent to enjoy… just a dozen on a pretty plate. Leave a friendly note, too!

Burke says cinnamon sticks in boiling water left to steep on the stove also make for an inviting but subtle scent that won’t bother most people. “You can do the same with lemons and oranges.”

Consider the Exterior, Too

Outside décor is also important to consider. Sometimes homeowners put up holiday lights or yard decorations that cut off porch or garage lighting. Burke says to make sure this doesn’t happen because visitors need to see street numbers and what the house exterior looks like. “Don't distract them with a full yard of blowups and colored lights,” she cautions.

Snow can make a holiday home especially pretty, but if it does snow, Burke reminds homeowners to make sure the driveway, sidewalk and porch are cleared. “Make the most of this natural decoration but keep your family and your visitors safe.”

Above all, Burke says, don't let selling your house over the holidays be a no-no. “People don't realize that this really is a great time to sell. Most people's houses show better over the holidays than any other time. Plus, there are many people who transfer jobs during winter break, necessitating a move. If your house is off the market for the holidays, you just might miss a good sale for the wrong reason.”

Director of Content Marketing for Prince William Living, Katherine Gotthardt (kgotthardt@princewilliamliving.com) is an award-winning writer, poet and author, as well as president of Write by the Rails, the Prince William chapter of the Virginia Writers Club. Learn about her work at KatherineGotthardt.com.

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