Deck the halls! Festive decorating tips

Our Top Tips for Christmas Decorating When Your House Is On The Market.

It’s true that the housing market gets a bit quieter in the run up to Christmas and there are often not as many buyers out viewing properties for sale during this time. However, the buyers who are looking tend to be very serious and motivated, so ensuring your property looks its best at this time is a wise move.

Christmas is an emotive time of year and as a house seller, you should use this period as an opportunity to show potential buyers how your house can look and feel, paint the picture of what Christmas in your property is like to ensure your house is the only place they want to spend Christmas next year.

As a nation, we can be divided on how best to decorate our homes over the festive period but the message here is less is definitely more! Before you start decking the halls, make sure you stick to simple items to highlight your house’s features and steer clear of the ‘Griswold Family Christmas’ method of decoration!

Our tips can help you transform your property into Christmas chic…

1. Kerb Appeal – Always important and even more so at Christmas. Use lights to brighten up the doorway for evening viewings but avoid coloured or flashing lights. Use classic white to create a welcoming entrance and consider hanging a classic wreath on the door. Inflatables and ‘Santa Stop Here’ signs can be fun for the children but do nothing to enhance your property to a potential buyer.
2. Pick a colour theme – Choose 1 or 2 colours for your decorations and use these colours for any small presents you wrap under the tree. You want to achieve a look of classic elegance so keep things simple and consistent.
3. Choose a smaller tree – Whilst you may love the idea of having a large tree at the window of your property, it’s not a great idea when trying to sell your house. Light will be blocked out and the living space will be reduced in size, making the room appear smaller. Add to this mountains of presents spilling out from under the tree and you’ll convey the idea of a house that struggles for space. Instead, choose a smaller tree, and place it well out of walkways, maybe even consider a table top tree to free up floor space. As for presents, a few under the tree will do no harm but stash others away from view (best from a security point of view too)
4. Christmas Cards – Mass displays of Christmas cards can look cluttered and messy, as can cards being stuck to door frames/windows. Select a few cards to display and keep others from view.
5. The smell of Christmas – Who doesn’t love the homely smells of Christmas…pine trees, cinnamon, mince pies. Use these smells to create a homely atmosphere in your property by lighting scented candles just before viewings. As well as providing a lovely aroma, the candle light will add to the overall atmosphere of your property.By adopting these ideas, you really can make your home stand out from the crowd and help make viewers really imagine their family spending Christmas in this house next year.