How to Stage a Home During the Holidays
Listing a home during the holiday season puts home sellers in an interesting position. On the one hand, it seems like a great opportunity to showcase a holiday spirit. On the other hand, too many lights, decor, and celebratory items may be off putting to some buyers. The winter months are considered the "offseason" for home buying, which means those looking for deals will usually wait around for the cold to peruse the market.
Staging has been a successful marketing method for decades, helping buyers picture their future in a property through impressive design. While in the past, physical staging was the only route available when it came to presenting a home, advances in technology and online marketing have opened new doors. Today, a vast majority of buyers start their search on the internet — which means marketers, real estate agents, and developers are changing up how they stage properties. This has led to a shift towards virtual staging, a much more efficient and cost-effective solution that offers unparalleled staging options.
So, if you're looking to stage a home during the holidays — there are some careful considerations you'll need to make to ensure that you're captivating potential buyers with the right look and feel. We're here to offer some advice and tips for getting it done right.
Keep Decorations Light
When staging a home during the holidays, we recommend that you don't go overboard and keep things minimal. Take all staging photos before any decorations go up. Nothing turns a buyer away come springtime faster than Christmas decorations. Plus, you don't want decorations detracting from home staging's overall goal, which is creating an ideal future home for a potential buyer.
When we say keep your decorations light, we mean it. Keep religious accessories out, as you don't want to limit or alienate your buyers pool with potentially divisive items in your staging material. We'd stick with a wreath and maybe some festive lights.
Skip the Tree
While we're still on the topic of decorations, it's best to avoid putting up a Christmas tree. Now, this isn't necessarily because of the religious implications so much as it takes up a significant amount of space and can leave your home staging looking overcrowded. If there's one thing we learned in our list of red flags for listing properties, it's that clutter will negatively impact your potential for a sale. So, skip the tree and boxes of presents, as they'll only take up precious space.
Not only does it make a property seem disorganized but also smaller. Whenever staging experts work on a home or property, they're always going to make every possible effort to make rooms feel more spacious. Keeping clutter and, more specifically, large Christmas trees out of the equation is a great start. If you want to learn some more tips and tricks for creating space while staging a home, check out our seven ways to make a room look more spacious.
Set the Tone
There's a lot you can do during the holiday season without being too festive. You should aim for warmth when staging a home and incorporate themes that feel cozy. Here are some tips:
Get a fire burning in the fireplace if you have one
Keep colors neutral with warmer accents pieces (don't go overboard with festive colors)
Take advantage of holiday aromatics with hints of cinnamon or pine (if you're physically staging)
Put a Hold on Outdoor Decor
Now is not the time to showcase an impressive light display. While a few lights aren't going to make or break a sale, an elaborate outdoor showcase does far more harm than good. Not only is it distracting, but it's also going to leave potential homebuyers wondering what type of damage was done to the exterior of the home and landscaping to create such a magnificent lighting spectacle.
Keep things simple, subtle, and tasteful. Less really is more when it comes to staging your home during the holiday season.
Virtual Staging Makes Holidays Easy
One of the many reasons why so many real estate agents and marketers choose virtual staging is customization. This incredible rendering technology paired with an experienced staging expert means unmatched flexibility and freedom with design elements, materials, additions, and even subtractions.
This means that virtual staging professionals can remove festive decor, add in the right accents, and create a perfectly balanced aesthetic for the holiday season. Physical staging falls short, as you'll be dealing with extra costs to add or remove holiday elements for a short season. Plus, limited inventories can lead to boring or tasteless designs.
So, if you're looking to stage a home during the holidays, we recommend taking advantage of these tips. However, the best way to stage a home during the holidays is through virtual staging, as it gives you unrivaled customization and creative expression to sell properties faster.