Believe it or not, the holiday season can be a great time to sell your home. It’s true that the housing market typically heats up during the spring. However, the holiday season is often overlooked as a prime time to sell, especially this year.

Why? First of all, there is typically less inventory in the housing market, allowing your home to easily stand out among the available inventory. And though there are technically fewer buyers overall, the homebuyers that are looking are far more serious about finding a home within a specific timeframe. So, make your home warm and inviting and open it up to those looking to buy, because selling your home during the holidays might be your best present this year.

Stage for the holidays:

You should 100% decorate your home during the holidays even if you are trying to sell it. The real question you should be asking is, how much?

As a homeowner, you might accumulate a lot of stuff, especially over time and depending on how long you’ve been in your home. This is especially true when it comes to holiday decorations. As you begin decorating, you will want to channel your inner stager or designer. Think clean, cozy, and simple. While your home is on the market you will want to use your best decorations as holiday accents without drawing attention away from your home’s best selling features.

Your home may have large windows with a great view or an expansive kitchen fit for a chef. Whatever sold you on your home when you first bought it is most likely the same feature(s) that will sell your home during the holidays. Don’t cover up your view with an excessively large Christmas tree and avoid filling your living room with snow globes, nutcrackers, and a large nativity scene. The key is to accentuate your home with holiday decor, not bury it.

Holiday decor can even help your prospective homebuyers imagine the house as their future home. If you have a fireplace, then consider decorating it with garland and/ or hanging stockings from the mantle. Use candles and essential oil diffusers with iconic scents of the season, such as pumpkin spice or balsam and cedar. You especially want to keep your home clutter-free and need to clean it regularly. Your belongings can easily begin to pile up during the holidays, so make sure you stay on top of it. You want to create an environment that makes prospective homebuyers feel comfortable and warm the moment they walk through your front door. You want them to feel at home.

You might also consider working with a professional home stager to create the perfect holiday look to help your home stand out from the competition.

Make your curb appeal a top priority

Your neighborhood may actually look more appealing to homebuyers during the holiday season. While you don’t want to go overboard with your exterior holiday decorations, you’ll still want to make your house shine along with the other homes on your block.

During these winter days, your lawn may not be as lush green as it is usually is during the summertime and your trees may currently be barren. That’s why making your curb appeal is a top priority when selling your home in winter. Make sure to pick up any sticks, dead leaves, and any other debris and that you’ll want to keep your lawn neatly trimmed. Even during the colder months, a few weeds that poke up from the ground can make your lawn seem neglected. If you have pictures of your home at alternative times of the year when your curb appeal is burgeoning with flora, these may also be a good idea to have available for homebuyers during home tours. This way, instead of homebuyers trying to picture your house in other seasons, they can just see it for themselves.

Let your home shine with lights

To complement the coziness of your home, you’ll also want to make it bright. Turn on all the lights in your house during open houses and virtual home tours. It may be the darkest time of year outside but you can make sure it doesn’t feel that way inside your home.

This is a great time to replace burnt out light bulbs and fix light switches that aren’t working. You may also want to consider making all your interior lighting the same color temperature, such as a soft white which brightens rooms without giving you that institutional feel. This will help with consistent lighting throughout your home, creating a balanced feel as potential homebuyers walk through each room.

Get Santa’s perspective with aerial photography

It doesn’t matter if you live in sunny West Coast, or buried in snow in the North East, consider aerial photography to help make your home stand out this holiday season. If your home has acreage, a view, or any other amenity that cannot be fully captured unless it’s done by air, then aerial photography may be just what you need.

Drone photography offers buyers a unique perspective of your home and can help make your listing stand out among the other homes for sale online. It also gives potential buyers an overview of your neighborhood along with other amenities that may be within walking distance of your home.

Looking to sell your home? Contact Danielle Verboski at danielleverboski.com.