Reason #1 to Stay Listed During the Holidays

Last week I said I would discuss the question of marketing a home during the holidays.  In my almost 26 years of experience as a professional real estate agent, I have never stopped working during the holidays as many agents do.  Why?  Because I’ve stayed busy with buyers and sellers!  There is not a prettier time of year to showcase a home, especially considering one of the most emotional colors is RED.  The cheerful red, silver, green and gold of the Christmas holidays are emotional buttons triggering love of home and harmony.

Decorate your home with taste; maybe tone it down a little if you tend to go overboard with your many accumulated treasures, but go ahead and have a live tree in your living room and a fire in the fireplace.  Hang the stockings!  Place greenery and/or poinsettias at the entry!  You may not have 20 viewings during December, and in fact you may have only 5, but the ones you get will be serious buyers who are really looking for a home, not just passing the time of day.  If you have a lot of plans or company during the holidays, you can always ask your agent to change the showing instructions to give 3-4 hours advance notice for showings, if that would make it easier for you.

Last year at this time, I had a listing that was vacant, but the owner had left several cartons of Christmas decorations in the garage.  I went through them and pulled out several items and placed the most colorful of them in the family room, around the brick fireplace wall, and in the kitchen.  Just enough to add a little cheer — and it made a difference!  So yes, even a vacant house can be dolled up a bit with a few accessories — easy to remove later!

In summary, my number one reason for keeping a home on the market during the holidays if a seller is truly serious about selling, is that any buyers out looking are also truly serious, and sellers stand a very good chance of receiving a sale contract in their stockings instead of a lump of coal!  You can’t sell if you aren’t on the market!  For more advice on selling or buying, please give me a call at (805)937-5777 or send an email.