The holidays can be stressful; there are no two ways about it. So it’s no wonder that selling your home this time of year isn’t something most people would want to do. For some it’s unavoidable and for others it just makes sense. If you’re planning to list your home for sale over the holidays, consider following these tips to help you survive the experience with ease.
Decorate Minimally
There’s nothing wrong with decorating for the holidays if you plan to list during that time, but you’ll want to do so in a way that doesn’t distract from your home’s best features. On the other hand, seasonal decorating can help mask some of your home’s flaws. Decorate wisely and a seasonally decorated home can show better than it would at any other time of year. An elegantly decorated tree with twinkling lights can have people fall in love with an otherwise underwhelming living room, and a beautiful wreath on the door is always a welcome sight to arrive home to. Buying a home is emotional and beautifully decorated homes can help generate stronger feelings from those who visit them. You’ll just want to avoid adding too many decorations that could distract from the clean and flowing space you’re trying to present.
Donate Generously
When getting ready to sell your home you’ll likely be asked to get rid of or store some items. The holidays are the perfect time to find a charitable organization that would benefit from the long lost contents of your basement. Chances are you won’t be taking everything with you anyways, and giving your excess or unwanted items away should help you get in the holiday spirit. In addition to feeling good about giving, there’s something incredibly satisfying about purging, especially before accumulating even more possessions if Santa happens to stop by. If you have kids you can use the upcoming move as an opportunity to teach them about the importance of giving over the holidays.
Travel Adventurously
So we can’t all be the McCallister family headed on a luxury vacation for the holidays, but chances are you will be required to do some visiting somewhere. Consider getting away for longer than you might normally either before or after the statutory holiday. The weeks before and after Christmas are when most of your showings will take place and you really don’t need the added stress of keeping your home open house ready. If travelling to see loved ones or extending your stay somewhere is an option, consider it. You just may end up coming home to the news you’ve been waiting to hear. SOLD!
Plan Diligently
Whether you plan to be home for the holidays while listing or get out of town, there are things you’ll need to plan for. If you’ll be staying home prepare a list of fun holiday activities to do with the family when you need to be out of the house for showings. From family skating trips to seeing Santa at the aquarium, if the forced time spent away from home is well-organized everyone will enjoy it. If you plan to be away, you’ll want to be prepared for Mother Nature. Arrange for snow removal and salting to help keep the visitors to your home safe and happy. Have your lights on a timer so your home can still sparkle from the street and arrange for pet care that has them out of the home.
Hire Wisely
Hiring the right agent is always important, but even more so when you’ve got a lot going on and could use a little extra help. All of the aforementioned tips can be taken care of if you hire a full-service agent as part of a full-service team. You’ll want to hire an agent with a team that offers cleaning, staging, and concierge services to start. Hire the wrong agent and you’ll have a list of things to do. Hire the right agent and you’ll have a list of things that will be done for you to help you focus on what’s really important during the holidays, spending time with loved ones.
From arranging help with de-cluttering and storage of items to professional cleaning, staging, and photography, to arranging for snow removal services in the event you’re away, the BREL team can help take the stress of listing during the holidays away. Hire wisely and you can ignore the rest. We worry about the details so you don’t have to.
Written by: Kiel Storms. To read more about him, click here.