Selling at Holiday Time Can Be Good!

It can be a hassle to have your home on the market over the holidays for a variety of reasons . . . with that said, there are some real advantages that may outweigh the negatives.  

Although there will be more buyers out and active after the first of the year, the ones who are out in the wet and the cold right now tend to be really motivated to buy. Holiday house hunters usually either need a place to live, fast, or they need to close escrow on their new home by year's end for tax reasons.  Having your home on the market over the holidays is one way to try to capitalize on the urgency this season's motivated buyers face due to their circumstances.

If you are "showing" for the holidays, then make sure your home is staged at it's holiday best.  That means that your decorations need to be tasteful, ethic neutral, and unobtrusive.  Do not use any decorations that make a room seem smaller, and only use an appropriately-sized tree that fits into a room without blocking any access.  Be careful to not hide your fireplace mantle under decorations, but just to use enough to enhance it's appeal.  If you have a dining room, stage it for a holiday dinner - many a buyer has bought a whole house around their holiday dinner fantasies. Help buyers visualize their first holiday hosted at their new home.

Set a few, clear "no show" dates and times with your agent ahead of time. There is no faster way to lose a potential buyer than to make it difficult for their broker or agent to schedule a showing for your home. Sellers seem to forget that most often buyer's brokers are scheduling multiple properties to be shown, and you wouldn't want to tip the hat in a competing property's direction by making your property difficult to show, or cause a lot of extra phone calls and confusion to the showing agent. By the same token, it's understandable that you may need to blackout showings on particular hoildays or times when you're hosting guests. So, rather than going through the drama and frustration of back-and-forth scheduling arrangements around your obligations, give your listing agent a couple of clear guidelines around holiday season showings (e.g., no showings on12/24, 12/25, 12/31 or 1/1) and ask your agent to include these dates in the confidential remarks for buyer's agents on MLS.

Expect some inconvenience and irritation. Selling during the holidays can be rewarding, but it won't always be fun. Go in with realistic expectations. Some buyer is highly likely to track rain, mud or snow into your house or interrupt your baking, cooking, or family time for a showing.  These things will happen, but the upside is that a highly-motivated buyer may also come see your home and write an offer.  Avoid the emotional rollercoaster and irritation by expecting these issues and chalking them up as par for the course.

Holiday food smells like spiced cider, pumpkin pie and baked appley/cinnamoney things are about as universally comforting as smells get. It certainly wouldn't hurt to do some sensory staging to create a sense of comfort and cheer. Also, remember that dreary winter weather can make even the loveliest house and showing take on a gray cast.  Counteract this by making sure your home is well lit, warm and comfortable.

May your holiday season be safe, happy, and fruitful!