Curb appeal doesn’t stop for the holidays
Selling your home during the holidays? No problem! You can still decorate for Christmas (and the 4th of July and Halloween and…) but still have a gorgeous, showing-ready home to entice potential home buyers! The agents at Omaha’s Sandi Downing Real Estate have 4 ways to decorate your home with holiday curb appeal…for a sure real estate sale!
1. Front doors should remain warm and inviting.
Even if you aren’t hanging lights this holiday season, your front door can still offer curb appeal with a holiday feel by using a wreath or decorative swag. The scent of fresh pine has been known to have a calming or soothing effect, too!
*Note: Don’t put any new nails into your door while selling! You can use removable hooks–just be sure that they are made for exterior use and won’t remove the paint from your door!
2. Don’t overdo it on the lights.
Trying to decorate your home like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation might get a good chuckle out of your closest friends, but potential buyers won’t be laughing…or looking at your home. Here are a couple of do’s and don’ts for holiday exterior decorating:
Avoid inflatables at all costs. You want potential buyers to look at your house, not at the story-and-a-half snowman in your front yard.
Use lights more as accents than something to cover square footage. Accenting the outline of your roof is one thing–covering your entire roof is another.
Consider professional lighting. Hiring a professional lightscaper will save you the time and hassle of putting up the lights as well as taking them down. Be sure to ask the contractor if they can remove lights when you’re ready to move…or offer to cover that fee in your closing costs.
Use the same color temperature in your holiday light decorating. If you decide to add LED lights this year, plan on sticking with them as a whole. Whatever you do, don’t mix and match C9 bulb lighting with LED–the bad mix of warm and cool color temperatures can make even the most stunning homes look less desirable.
Instead, go tasteful and simple. Remember–if your home sells during the holidays, you’ll need to remove the lights unless you have something else planned!
3. Use winter decorations.
Winter-themed decorations can be just as charming as a fully decorated Christmas tree or a Hanukkah menorah. What if your home does not sell during a religious holiday season? You’re left re-decorating in hopes that you won’t have to leave a half-decorated tree because of an impromptu showing. Instead, consider woven baskets with winter greens, fake snow, and pine cones!
4. Use boxes as wrapped presents.
Coordinate a few randomly shaped boxes with simple wrapping paper and use them as decorations while keeping your real presents tucked away in a closet and away from the prying hands of potential home buyers’ children!
Less is more.
When it comes to decorating your home for the real estate market, less is more. You can still have amazing curb appeal and still keep your home in the festive holiday spirit by being mindful of the extent of your decorating. Omaha curb appeal doesn’t have to stop for the holidays—contact us to get started with your home sale ANY time of the year!