House on the market during the holidays?

[annalatte]

My H and I are building a new home (yay!) and the closing date will most likely be the 2nd week of April. Our real estate agent suggested that we put the house on the market ASAP, and as long as there are no major snow storms, we should see a steady stream of buyers for viewings this winter (we live in a high-demand location in a high-demand style house - updated all-brick ranch). She said she already has buyers who would like to look at our house now.

So my question is - what would you do about the holidays and decorating with a house on the market? We will not be hosting any holiday gatherings this year, but we have an almost 2-year-old, so we'll probably at least do a tree and a few wreaths (one of front door and a couple inside). I usually go all out with the decor, but I really don't feel like doing much else!

We are currently packing up most of our belongings to be stored in hidden storage rooms for staging/viewing. Part of me just wants to leave all my xmas crap in the attic until we move!

Thoughts?

[wawa]

I would decorate - not go totally crazy, but this time of year they'll be pulling up to your house and all your neighbors will be decorated, right? So your house would look sad totally naked. A wreath on the door and/or some windows and a pretty tree (maybe leave off some of the more personal ornaments?) sound perfectly reasonable.

[martini]

I would still decorate. I went to an Open House with a friend once and the condo was beautifully decorated for Christmas... sugar cookies set out on the table, tree all lit up, and it seemed so cozy and nice there!

[bunnymendelbaum]

Wawa has a good point, it might look weird if yours isn't decorated at all. Some decorations would make it seem cozy.

[emoflamingo]

I agree. I know I wouldn't put out any ornaments that have sentimental value or have your LO's name on it, but I would definitely decorate.

[Deleted]

I would go with simplicity in decorating, like others have said. A tree, stockings, maybe a few decorations here and there. I would probably not put out a giant inflatable lawn decoration collection or anything, but a few lights outside wouldn't hurt if they were done nicely.

[Deleted]

Oh, and congrats on the new home. We are building too and should be ready around feb/mar. We did the same thing you are and listed our home early on. It sold really quickly so we are now in an apartment. It is an adventure, but the new house will be worth it. How is your build going?

[annalatte]

Nov 13, 2012 16:46:44 GMT -5 @forcuatro said:

Oh, and congrats on the new home. We are building too and should be ready around feb/mar. We did the same thing you are and listed our home early on. It sold really quickly so we are now in an apartment. It is an adventure, but the new house will be worth it. How is your build going?

That's exciting! We're trying really hard to not have to move twice. Our realtor has a few buyers who are only looking at ranch homes, and she said they are very flexible with closing dates, so I'm hoping it works out!

We haven't broken ground yet. In fact, our pre-construction meeting won't be until next month. We've made all of our interior and exterior selections though. So the hard part is over with!

Good luck with your home!

[minniebee]

I agree with others, I would do some decorating but not go over-the-top. It would probably seem strange to have no decorations at all.

Maybe go with general winter decorations (like snowmen, etc.) rather than religious Christmas-specific decorations (like a manger scene), especially if you have a good number of non-Christians who live in your area. That way you don't offend anyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas. I'm sure non-Christians get used to seeing Christmas decorations around that time of the year, but realtors & home stagers also say that you shouldn't have too many religious things in your house when trying to sell since that could turn off some buyers.

Good luck!

[pamela]

I would decorate (manger scene and all if you want), but becareful that the amount of decorating doesn't obscure the details of the house or anything.