4 Home Staging Strategies for the Holidays
It’s the most wonderful time of year — and if your house is on the market right now, you need home staging strategies that will appeal to the intrepid house-hunters searching for a home where they can start the new year.
Staging your home around the holidays is a delicate, but not difficult, task of making potential buyers feel comfortable during a showing, but not overwhelmed by your décor.
You want them to envision the space as their home during the holidays — not like you invited them to your decked-out Christmas party.
Consider the following ideas to find the perfect balance this season between merry and too merry:
1. Tidy the House Before Staging and Decorating
Step one: Clean the house and get rid of clutter. If your family room is already crammed with winter boots, piles of magazines, coats, laptops and chargers, can you imagine how overwhelming the room would be with sparkling snow globes and 10 snowman decorations?
Only after you clean up the clutter can you stage, and after that, add holiday cheer.
When you add holiday décor, consider replacing regular decorations with holiday pieces, rather than accumulating items and overcrowding the room. The last thing you want is for the potential buyer to walk inside and feel overwhelmed.
2. Go Light on Holiday Decorations
When it comes to home staging, less is more.
Stick to one Christmas tree, avoid the urge to string lights in every room and keep decorations on shelves and walls to a minimum. You want your home, not your holiday decorations, to be memorable.
The same goes for your yard decorations. This season, say “no” to the inflatable waving snowman or strings of lights blinking to the tune of “Carol of the Bells.” Instead, consider simple string lighting to complement your home’s architecture.
That doesn’t mean you need to douse all holiday cheer. Add subtle, sophisticated touches like pinecone centerpieces, holiday greens and flowers or a simple evergreen wreath on the front door and over the fireplace. A garland of white string lights or candles in the windows offers a distraction-free ambiance.
3. Consider Your Home’s Style
Before you pull out the blinking reindeer and grandma’s miniature Santas, look at your color palette and décor. Now assess your holiday decorations. Do the styles mesh — or clash?
When it comes to home staging during the holiday season, you want decorations to complement your palette. So, bright, multi-hued holiday colors might be off-putting in a modern white or gray family room. In this case, stick with sleek, classic lines and shapes like white candles and glass ornaments.
4. Be Inclusive and Practical
Consider keeping religious ornaments and decorations to a minimum, because they could pose a distraction or make potential buyers feel uncomfortable -- which is the last thing you want!
Some other above-and-beyond steps you can take to make guests feel welcome include:
Keeping the home warm. Light the fireplace if it is cleaned and functioning, or kick up the heat a few notches to make your home welcoming and cozy.
Clearing outdoor walkways. If there is snow or ice on the sidewalk or driveway, keep your home’s exterior safe by shoveling and making sure it’s well-lit.
Keeping floors tidy. With all the mud, leaves, snow and debris synonymous with winter, it’s easy to track dirt inside. Avoid messes by putting extra large mats outside and inside the front door to minimize dirt tracked in by buyers.
If you need a creative hand with your home staging this holiday season or any time of year, contact Showhouse Home Staging today!
