Does selling your home during the holidays mean that you're doomed to spend the season with no decorations?

Fortunately, our real estate agents know that the answer is "no." Holiday decorations are encouraged when you're selling your home, but it's important to treat them as part of your home's staging. Here's what you need to know about staging your home during the holiday season. 

• You Need to Declutter Before Reaching for Your Decorations
  Before you start decorating, spend time thoroughly decluttering your home. Pack up collections, old paperwork, and toys. Remove items that feel overly personal, like photographs and sentimental displays. These items make it hard for a buyer to envision themselves living in your home. 

• Be Stingy with Your Holiday Decor
  Your decluttering mindset should also apply to your holiday decor. Less is more this year. You don't want your decorations to overwhelm your home or detract from your home's best features. Decorative displays with a lot of components, like a Christmas village or nutcracker collection, add too much clutter to your home. Avoid large outside decorations that take up a lot of room in your yard and potentially obscure your home. It's okay to put up lights on your home's exterior, but don't go overboard. Decorate your home's frame instead of every possible surface of your home's exterior. Illuminate a lovely tree or bush instead of decorating multiple components of your landscaping. 

• Set the Stage with Seasonal Decor
  When you add your home to the list of Spokane homes for sale, you don't know who your potential buyers will be. Holiday items that have universal appeal include wreaths, garlands, poinsettias, and other holiday plants, and classic seasonal figures (like reindeer, snowmen, and nutcrackers). Do put up a Christmas tree. A Christmas tree enhances the appeal of practically any living space. Check that your ornaments aren't overly personalized and have universal appeal. The round Christmas bauble ornaments are always a great choice. 

• See That Your Decor Matches the Rest of Your Home
  Your holiday decor should complement the colors and style throughout your home. For example, if your living room uses bright jewel tones, use decor that incorporates similar hues. If your home is decorated in a rustic style, ultra-modern decor that consists of geometric shapes and flashy colors will look out of place. 

• Use Holiday Decor to Highlight Your Home's Best Features
  Holiday decor is a valuable tool for showcasing your home's most desirable traits. Have a large dining area perfect for hosting lots of family and friends? Stage the space with place settings and a holiday centerpiece. Does your home have a fantastic window? Hang a wreath to make sure it draws the attention of your buyers. If your home has arches or cool architectural features, hang small bows or mistletoe to help show them off. 

• Watch Out for Holiday Scent Overload
  With holiday candles, baking, and your Christmas tree, it's easy to fill your home with festive scents. While a little bit of scent is fine (and even preferred), make sure your scents are complimentary and don't overwhelm the space. Stick with smells that tend to have universal appeal, like fresh cookies, evergreen, and holiday spices. 

Ready to list your home this holiday season? Contact us today!