Staging over the Holidays
Tips and advice from our exclusive home stager, Lesley King – Stage Presence
Preparing your home for the market while simultaneously trying to create some semblance of your holiday traditions can be tricky. It’s important to create a warm and inviting atmosphere during any time of the year, however the holiday season can be quite a challenge for some to keep their Santa collections constrained. Here are some simple ideas and suggestions to help make your home look its best while selling during this holiday season:
- Exterior curb appeal, should be exactly that, appealing. If you put up lights, keep them all one colour and elegant, preferably white. Forgo the many lawn and garden ornaments, but adding a simple door wreath made from fresh pine boughs or boxwood braid is a nice touch.
- Keep your holiday decor focused in 1-2 main areas. Potential buyers may not appreciate your attempt at a winter wonderland; they may perceive it as clutter.
- Tone down the traditional red and green, and choose natural hues and textures like jute, twig, birch and pine cone décor. You can embellish with a little white and silver for a bit of bling.
- Most Christmas trees require you to rearrange your interior space to accommodate its girth.It’s ok to do a smaller less intrusive tree, or even a table top style while selling. This way the prospective buyers can see the potential space and style of the room more clearly without distraction, while you can still experience that holiday feeling.
- Adorn the mantel, table tops and banisters, but keep it simple. If you usually cover the entire mantel with candles, and children’s pictures of Christmas past, perhaps forgo the kids pictures, and use minimal candles so that the attention is drawn to the fireplace (which is a feature of the space) without it being overwhelming. Just keep it simple.
Staging your home for the holidays can still be fun and festive, and will likely draw serious buyers over the festive season. Keep these basic staging suggestions in mind, and remember it’s only temporary, and your efforts will surely bring you closer to your new home where you can celebrate and decorate next Christmas to the nines!