Holiday Staging Tips From HGTV

Before you deck the halls, these Holiday Staging Tips From HGTV can help you sell your home by the New Year.

The holiday season from Thanksgiving through the New Year is often considered the worst time to put a home on the market. According to HGTV, “While the thought of selling your home during the winter months may dampen your holiday spirit, the season does have its advantages as that holiday buyers tend to be more serious and competition is less fierce with fewer homes being actively marketed.”

Yes, ’tis the season for real estate! If your home is listed this holiday, don your gay apparel and welcome those holiday showings!

The few house-hunters out there are serious about buying a house. So before you deck the halls, Clark Griswold, consider using stylish trimmings that will make Buyers want to ring in the New Year in your home.

Get buyers in the right spirit with these HGTV’s Holiday Staging Tips

• Clean and stage. “Before you decorate, your house needs to be staged,” Powers says. If your living room is already piled high with clutter and tchotchkes, your ceramic reindeer collection is only going to add to the sense of overcrowding.
• Create a cozy vibe. The less-is-more mantra of home staging may tempt you to forgo holiday cheer this year. But a few subtle touches like a bowl of pinecones, an evergreen wreath, or a pot of cider simmering on the stove can create a warm and festive feeling in your home.
• Complement your palette. Before you start untangling your tinsel, make sure your holiday collection matches your current decor. If your living room is painted a soothing ocean-blue hue, skip the clashing red garland and opt for white snowflakes or a silver glass-ball wreath. If you’ve got an earthy color scheme, accent with rich tones like cranberries, forest greens and gold.
• Accentuate the positive. Too many trimmings may distract buyers, but the right accessories can draw attention to your home’s best features. Dangle mistletoe in an arched doorway, or display your menorah on the ledge of a bay window; just don’t block a beautiful view with stick-on snowflake decals or clutter an elegant fireplace with personalized stockings.
• Go light on lights. Step away from the inflatable snowman, Clark Griswold. One man’s “merry” is another man’s “tacky,” so tone down any garish light displays while your home is on the market. (No, your neighbors didn’t pay us to say that.) Instead, use simple string lighting to play up your home’s architecture or draw attention to the gorgeous fir tree in your front yard.
• Be an equal-opportunity decorator. Leave the life-sized Nativity scene in storage this year, because overtly religious flourishes may be off-putting to some buyers. “You want to keep neutrality throughout, so you can attract any type of buyer,” Powers says. Not sure what qualifies? Powers adds, “No matter what your religion is, you’re not going to feel offended by a nutcracker.”
• Mind the tree. A tall Christmas tree can help you show off your two-story great room, but make sure the wide base won’t overwhelm the floor space. If your living area is on the small side, save space with a skinny tree. Swap the gaudy heirloom ornaments and trim your tree in a cohesive theme such as icicle lights and silver tinsel, for example, or blue and gold glass balls.
• Clear the clutter. A few decorations can stir the holiday spirit, but don’t feel obliged to hang every last ornament. “A lot of people, when they decorate, tend to use all the extra space in their house,” Powers says. “You still want each space to look as spacious as possible.” Limit yourself to a few hints of holiday flair, but stash the rest in the basement for now. If you start to miss your Santa figurines, just remember that with a little luck, you’ll be celebrating next year’s holidays in a new home. And you can decorate that place any way you please.

Read the entire HGTV article here.

Considering Selling? Here’s what you’ll need to do.

1. Deck the halls, but don’t go overboard.
   Avoid offending buyers by opting for general fall and winter decorations rather than items with religious themes.
2. Hire a reliable real estate agent.
   Find someone who will work hard for you and won’t disappear from Thanksgiving through New Year’s.
3. Price your home to sell.
   No matter what time of year, a home that’s priced low for the market will make buyers feel merry.
4. Make curb appeal your top priority.
   Bare trees mean a more exposed home, so maintain the exterior of your home during the holidays.
5. Give house hunters a place to escape from the cold.
   Make your home feel cozy and inviting during showings by cranking up the heat, playing soft classical music and offering homemade holiday treats.

Relax — the New Year is just around the corner. Remind yourself that if you don’t sell now, there’s always next year, which, luckily, is only a few days away. Click here to read HGTV’s Top 10 Tips For Selling Your Home During The Holidays.

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http://www.hgtv.com/design/real-estate/top-10-tips-for-selling-your-home-during-the-holidays

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