[Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2014, but it’s just as relevant today. Have your own tips? Leave them in the comments!]
Selling your home during the holidays can be easy! The potential buyer base at this time of year is generally serious and ready to seal a deal quickly. It doesn’t have to be tricky to get your home on the market. Just keep it simple.
Jump for a list of tips!
1. Curb your Collection
Do not, I repeat, do not remove the Santa Village from the box. This holds true for the snow globe, nutcracker and penguin collections as well.
2. Your One and Only
One tree, yes. Even in your 10,000-square-foot home. One tree, and make it a green tree, no upside-down trees, pink trees, black trees, bottle trees, no highly stylized or weird trees, period. These are guaranteed focus pullers and you are not selling that tree, you are selling your house.
3. Minimal Mantles
You’ve seen them, mantles that are heaving with glittery ornaments, flocked pinecones, giant candles, and perhaps a gold deer or two. Don’t even go there.
4. Hide the Presents
Don’t put the presents out until Christmas Eve. Seriously. If you have that many presents under the tree do you really need that much money for your house? It also confuses the heck out of little kids dragged along for the showing.
5. Lighten Up
This is not the year to compete in the neighborhood outdoor light contest. Outline the house or light up a tree, but leave the sleigh and eight not-so-tiny reindeer off the roof.
6. Miss Martha
Do not purchase any magazine full of Christmas decorating ideas by Martha Stewart or you won’t be able to stop yourself. Next year, you can max out on hanging hand cut paper snowflakes from the ceiling.
7. Don’t Turn Your House Into A Theme Park
Leave Mickey at Disneyland and your blue and silver obsession at Cowboy Stadium this year.
8. Don’t Get Carded
Don’t display Christmas cards. Buyers will get distracted looking at photos of your friends kids on Santa’s knee and reading your holiday greetings. Believe me, they WILL read them.
9. No Faux Snow!
No fake snow, in or out. Not on the windows, not on the lawn.
10. No Hang Ups
Don’t hang the stockings with care for all to see. Hang them up on Christmas Eve, then stuff them back in the storage box. Don’t hang up mistletoe. Don’t hang wreaths in every window. Don’t hang tinsel from the staircase. Don’t hang bells, bows or balls.
