Much hullabaloo has been made about whether to decorate or not at Christmas when your house is on the market. Having spent the better part of an evening getting a 16 foot tree into an 11 foot high room, I'd be the first to say "skip the decorations!", but it's a difficult decision to make. For many families the decorations are a deeply entrenched part of their holiday and cutting that tree and then squeezing it into the house are all part of the fun (or torture!).
Sellers cry out, "It's our house! Why can't we celebrate the way we always do?" or worse yet, "It's our last Christmas here and we want to have the best Christmas ever." Both statements are legitimate, but reality is that if your house is listed at Christmas the decorations can detract from the commodity you're trying to sell . . . your house. Just like the fresh crab leg birthday dinner prepared by one of my sellers created lots of negative comments about the smell from prospective buyers, buyers cannot always see beyond the decorations. Decorations make the house look crowded or smaller or darker or . . . Knowing that only serious buyers are looking during the holidays, it's best to keep your goal in mind and dress your house for success. The stagers say it best: Use discretion. Make decorations tasteful. Put limits on the number of decorations.
Comments