Home Selling For the Holidays
Selling a home can be stressful enough, but selling a home during the holidays can seem impossible. As you gear up for the chaos that comes with the season, it's difficult to focus on keeping your home ready to show. Here are a few tips to help you use the holidays to your advantage instead of using them as an excuse to procrastinate until spring.
Purge your possessions. Whether you are downsizing, upsizing, or merging after you sell your home, it’s a good idea to get rid of the stuff you no longer want or need in advance of the move. Moving often causes folks to inventory and evaluate their belongings anyway. While this can be a therapeutic task for many, it can also be a tedious and emotional process for some. Many people do a pre-holiday purge to help make room for new items gifted during the holidays. Making your moving purge part of your pre-holiday purge can make it a less emotional task, and prevent you from having to do it twice.
Take advantage of the season. The holidays give most of us a warm and fuzzy feeling. Use holiday decor to add ambiance and warmth to your home. A properly decorated home can help with staging efforts, and ultimately make your home more appealing to potential buyers. Just be sure to opt for a more traditional theme. Kitschy inflatables and humorous holiday decorations are fun, but won’t appeal to everyone. Keep your choice of decorations kid-friendly, but not kid-focused, to avoid sending the wrong message about the neighborhood.
Schedule your time. Don’t avoid having family and friends over just to avoid the mess. Instead, pick specific days and times to celebrate, and let your real estate agent know that the house won’t be available on those days. While it may be necessary for you to be flexible with timing when an agent is showing your home, it is okay for you to set aside some days where it will be off limits. Deciding to spend the holidays at a relative’s home is also a good option to provide maximum access to buyers.
Keep things organized. Like scheduling, keeping things organized during the holidays can be a hard goal to achieve. You may be able to stuff the mess into a room or closet that is off-limits when the relatives arrive, but buyers will want to peek into every space in the house. This leaves those hidden messes exposed, and shortcuts might cost you. Consider hiring a professional organizer to help you get your home ready. This will help with your holiday planning, keep your home in tact for visits from buyers, and translate into your new home once you sell.
Find a pet daycare. If you have pets, finding someone to keep them while you show your home is important. Dogs in particular can be territorial or overly-friendly at times, so contacting local dog sitters to care for them during viewings is a good option. You don’t want your dog or your prospective buyer to feel threatened as your agent shows your home. Alternative arrangements for other types of animals should be made as well. While a pet doesn’t have to be present for someone who is allergic to know they live there, exotic pets can send the wrong message to buyers. For instance, someone who is afraid of snakes or rodents might leave immediately if they encounter your kids’ pet gerbil or your python.
It can be hard to accept that your home is no longer your home when you are trying to sell it, especially during a holiday that is all about home and family. However, you have to focus on the tastes and comfort of the prospective buyer, even when those are incredibly divergent from your own. Focus on tactical things like staying organized, scheduling your time, and getting rid of items that no longer serve a purpose to help you avoid stress. Arrange pet care for the safety and wellbeing of your pet, and to avoid any mishaps that might occur with strangers. Finally, take advantage of the warmth and coziness of the season to help you find a buyer now instead of waiting for the spring selling season.
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