HOW TO STAGE YOUR HOME DURING THE HOLIDAYS

Traditionally the holiday season between November and January was thought of as the worst time of year to put your home on the market. Even though the thought of putting your home on the market during the winter months may dampen your spirit, it does have its advantages! Holiday buyers tend to be more serious and with fewer homes on the market the competition isn’t as fierce. Once you decide to commit to the challenge, embrace it and follow these tips from Sam Lepore:

• Clean and stage. Before you decorate, your house needs to be staged. 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, a cozy fire, or a pot of cider simmering on the stove can create a warm and festive feeling in your home. This encourages buyers to stay a bit longer before venturing back out into the cold.
  
  
• 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. 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. Maybe go with a nutcracker theme.
  
  
• 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. 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!

Thinking about selling?Call Sam Lepore and his team. Check out the incredible marketing techniques that he uses to market his clients properties.

856.297.6827

or

Sam@samlepore.com