If you find yourself in a situation where you need to sell your home during the holiday season, you may be faced with the realization that you won’t be able to decorate for the holidays. However, just because you need to keep your home in show-ready condition doesn’t mean you need to skip your holiday decor entirely. Keeping your holiday decor understated will create a warm holiday environment while still helping buyers envision hosting their own holidays in the house. Keep these holiday home staging dos and don’ts in mind when you decorate your home this holiday season.
Do Select Neutral Decor
Neutrality in color, decor and symbols is one of the most essential parts of home staging in general. So when you’re staging during the holidays, focus on neutral holiday decor instead of a holiday-specific theme. Keep your treasured holiday collections packed away this year and select a neutral theme that will complement your home’s existing style. Incorporating natural elements such as understated evergreen boughs and birch logs in a basket, adding warmth with soft white string lights and selecting a neutral color palette, such as creams and metallics, will all contribute to a serene seasonal backdrop.
Don’t Decorate for the Holidays Until the Home is Professionally Staged
The holiday decor should subtly complement the professional staging. Once the house is painted, furniture is rearranged, personal items are removed, clutter is cleared and scratches, dings and dents are cleaned up, you can layer in the subtle touches of holiday decor.
Do Decorate to Highlight Selling Features
Using holiday decor is an excellent way to draw attention to your home’s best features subtly. For example, if you have 12-foot ceilings, display a tree to accentuate the size of the room. If you have a custom marble mantle, drape an understated, single strand of garland to draw attention to the unique piece. Or, if you have stunning floor-to-ceiling windows, hang a small, single wreath on each window to draw the eye to this focal point.
Don’t Display too Many Colors
While holiday colors are festive, an edited holiday scheme is key when selling during the holidays. Avoid color overload by using restraint with your holiday theme. Whether you choose creams and metallics, white and brown, green and brown, green and white, green and navy, or blue, white and green, don’t stray from the color palette, and be sure to carry it throughout your various holiday vignettes. This uniformed look will help buyers focus on the home’s unique features—not the hodgepodge of holiday colors.
Do Try to Be the Most Subtle Home on the Block
Scale back the exterior decor this year. Frame the exterior with minimal white lights and adorn the door with one simple wreath. A spotlight shining on the front of the house will deliver an understated elegant glow as buyers see the home during the evening.
If you’re selling during the holidays, it’s still possible to fill your home with holiday cheer by using an edited, scaled-back approach.
