Buying or selling a home is always a stressful and time-consuming process.This is doubly, no, triply, no, quadrupley true when it comes to selling your home during the holiday season. The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day are already go-go-go, and adding in trying to sell your current house may feel overwhelming. However, it doesn’t have to be. Here are 5 tips to sell your home and have a season both merry and bright this December!
1. Deck the Halls—Within Reason.
Just like with staging your house at any other time of the year, less is more. You want buyers to be able to walk through the halls and imagine their own decorations and furniture there. If you’ve crowded every available square foot with Santa figurines, or Grandma’s Christmas embroideries, or Menorahs, or whatever holiday décor you favor, possible buyers may feel claustrophobic and penned in—emotions that will, unfortunately, transfer to their memories of viewing your home. Keep it simple, keep it tasteful, keep it minimal.
2. Maximize Curb Appeal
Again, the same rules that apply during the rest of the year still exist during the holidays—maybe just with a few more twinkle-lights involved around the window frames. When trees lose their leaves in the fall, move quickly to rake them up. When the snow begins to cover everything, keep your driveway, walkways, and front stoop shoveled and clear. Always keep a bag of salt on hand to melt any ice that could send prospective buyers slip-sliding to other opportunities.
3. Online Photos
Especially living in Minneapolis, we know that the weather outside can be frightful. Very frightful. During these brutal winter months, buyers will begin their hunt from the indoors, browsing online listings and postings. Make a great first impression by providing as many pictures of your home in great weather as you can. Start collecting photos now—you can provide a snapshot of the property in every season.
4. Take Buyers Seriously
November, December, and January are, on average, the roughest months to spend on the market. Many buyers want to be settled during the holidays, and put off house-hunting until closer to the spring. However, this comes with a silver lining: buyers out and about this time of the year mean business. They tend to be more motivated and have solid reasons for pursuing a home during the holidays.
5. Work with a Reliable Agent
This is the single most important thing to do when selling your home during the holiday season. You want someone who will work hard for you, and won’t drop off the map and get distracted by their own holiday headaches. The agents at HelgesonPlatzke Real Estate Group would love to be there for you this festive season. Give us a call today, and we can get you well on your way to selling your home in time for the new year.
At Helgeson Platzke Real Estate Group, we are proud to be a member of Eden Prairie’s esteemed small business community. Since 1995, we’ve offered the very best in Twin Cities real estate, earning our community’s trust as the #1 Sales Team in the Eden Prairie area. With over 4,500 homes sold, our staff has both the knowledge and experience necessary to ensure that your home ownership goals are delivered.So,if you’re considering buying or selling your Eden Prairie area home this summer, now is the time to enlist the help of a real estate professional who can help you make the most of this season’s extraordinary market.