Introduction
Trying to sell residential property during the holiday season has multiple challenges. Prospective buyers, caught up in the busy tasks at their workplace and home don't have a lot of time to look carefully at houses. Their finances may be tight at the end of the year, making them reluctant to sign on the dotted line for new property acquisition.
As a seller, you can make the house more attractive to prospects when you decorate the home for Christmas. Create an environment that shows the potential new owners just how pleasant the holiday season could be if they owned and lived in this house. You may adapt several classic Christmas decorating techniques to stage the property for high impact. Your goal is to develop an emotional attraction that influences buyers to make an offer, even at the height of the Christmas season.
Step 1
Set the stage for a great house walk-through by decorating the front door and porch area. Festive garlands wrapped around the railing or pillars sends a message that the prospects are being welcomed home for Christmas. While it is not necessary to include strings of lights in the decorations, remember that some buyers won't be able to visit the home until after work, or in the evening. It gets dark early in December, so an accent of twinkling Christmas lights will draw attention to the home's overall warmth.
Step 2
Hang a wreath on the front door. If the house is large and grand, an big evergreen wreath with a bright bow is appropriate. For smaller home or cottage, place a simple evergreen or wrapped-twig wreath with a few ornaments on it will establish a pleasant ambiance. You can create a sense of being home for Christmas with a townhouse or condominium, too. Set the property apart from other by placing an unusual style of wreath or an arrangement of evergreen branches on the door.
Step 3
Place a Christmas tree in the front room of the house. Position the tree where it will capture attention, but not distract from the other features of the house. Use a monochromatic color scheme and several strands of lights. Your goal is to subtly let the buyer feel what it would be like to be home for Christmas in this particular house. At the same time, you need to let them imagine what it would be like to have their very own style of Christmas tree in that room. Don't forget to place several wrapped boxes under the tree to emulate the anticipation of opening gifts in the prospects' minds.
Step 4
Keep the decorations around the rest of the house very simple. You want the prospect to imagine having their own furniture, their decorations and their own family in that home for Christmas. Set a large poinsettia plant in the dining room and smaller poinsettia plants in the bedrooms. You may also hang red and white towels in the bathrooms. Place a lovely Christmas bowl and platter on the kitchen counter to give just one more hint about the home's comfort.
Step 5
Make sure that the home is very clean and free of cooking odors or other strong smells before the potential buyers arrive. Layer the atmosphere with subtle hints of holiday scents. The Christmas tree will bring pine or fir fragrance to the front room. A spicy Christmas potpourri placed in a colorful bowl will add an undertone of seasonal scent to the family room or den. In the kitchen, a batch of freshly baked gingerbread helps the prospects feel like the are truly home for Christmas.
Tips
Hang a sprig of mistletoe in a doorway. If your prospects pause to share a quick kiss in the spirit of the season, chances are they will catch the vision of what it would feel like to be home for Christmas in this specific house.
