First impressions are important when selling a home, so give your humble abode the wow factor by staging it correctly. A well-staged home is known to sell faster and for a higher price, so it’s definitely worth a bit of effort! If you’re not sure what home staging is, it means removing items like personal photos, getting rid of clutter and making your décor appeal to potential home buyers. It may also mean renting a storage unit to put unnecessary items in so the house looks its absolute best. The key to staging is to make your home a place that people can picture themselves living in! Home staging is important at any time of year, but how do you make your home look appealing during winter holiday celebrations like Hanukkah or Christmas? Here are some helpful tips to get you started!
Accessorize Smartly
– If you usually go all out with elaborate decorations every holiday season, you should probably tone it down a bit. You can keep your décor festive without going overboard with simple non-religious touches like a fresh wreath from the local garden centre hanging on the door, a beautiful holiday centrepiece on the dining room table or a few ornaments hung above the fireplace. All accessories should complement your usual décor, so you aren’t distracting potential home buyers from the actual beauty of what they’re aiming to buy – your home!
Lighting (Less is More)
– Festive outdoor lights are beautiful in the winter and can really add to the curb appeal of a home…if they are done right. So before throwing up every last string of multi-coloured lights you own, you should make a game plan. By using string lights in a colour that enhances your home’s appearance, you can elegantly highlight a beautiful tree or an architecturally gorgeous roof line. The lights will also give the home a welcoming feel and brighten up the dark December night.
Turn Up the Heat
– On cold winter days it’s even more important to make your home as cozy as possible. So go ahead, crank the heat a degree or two so your potential home buyers walk into a warm abode after being in the chilly wintery air. Even better, if your home has a wood-burning or gas fireplace, light it or turn it on. There is nothing more appealing on a cold winter day than a warm fire in a gorgeous fireplace.
Sweet Bribery & Wintery Scents
– Remember when Mom would make her holiday cookies and there would be hot apple cider or hot chocolate simmering on the stove? You can recreate that homey experience by making your own freshly-baked cookies and deliciously warm cider. Just the aroma of such things makes your home seem very comfortable, and if you’re feeling even more generous, you can leave some out for your potential home buyers. The more they can picture their future life in the home you’re selling, the better.
To Tree or Not to Tree
– In some homes it is a custom to have a Christmas tree in all its decorated glory as the centrepiece of holiday excitement. When you’re selling your home you can still have a tree (just like you can continue to have other décor), but you will want to ensure the tree decorations fit in with the rest of your home-staging strategy. It’s best to find a tree that’s the right size so it will fit well in your home without making the room it’s in look too small.
