If You’re Selling, How Long Should Your Christmas Magic Last?
December 21st, 2009 categories: Chicago Real Estate News
I personally think downtown Chicago always looks festive at night. But during the holiday season, downtown looks amazing. There are lights shining from seemingly every tree. Store windows are filled with glowing snowmen, reindeer and Santa Clauses. Shoppers are hustling from store to store. If you’re not a fan of the holiday season, I suggest you head downtown; it’ll make even the biggest Scrooge feel a bit of yuletide joy.
But what about your own condominium or single-family home? If you’re selling it, how festive should you let it get?
The key is to make sure that your condo, townhome or house never looks cluttered. So don’t decorate so much that potential buyers trip over holiday decorations as they tour your property.
That’s pretty simple. But my sellers often have another question regarding the holiday season: How long should they keep up their lights, tree and other decorations?
Some like to preserve their memories of the holiday season longer by leaving our decorations up into February. That’s fine if you’re not selling your residence. But if your home is on the market, you might reconsider this.
Remember, buyers want homes that look clean and spacious. Those holiday decorations that looked so fresh and inviting on Dec. 15 might just look cluttered on Jan. 15. Buyers might only remember your home as the one that still had its Christmas tree standing in the living room. This isn’t good. You want buyers to remember your home for its spacious master bedroom and upgraded kitchen, not for the browning wreath hanging on the front door.
The homes mentioned in this Chicago Tribune story are all amazingly decorated. But come mid-January, no one’s going to want to see anyone’s house blazing so brightly.
My advice is to leave your decorations up through New Year’s Day. Once Jan. 2 rolls around, it’s time to box up the Santas and elves, drag the tree to the recycling center and put out your home’s regular décor. You might miss the holiday spirit, but in today’s tough residential market, you want your Chicago home to stand out for all the right reasons, not the wrong ones.
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