Keep It Simple When Selling Your Ho... Ho.. Home for the Holidays

I was at a Christmas lunch today and someone asked me an interesting question about selling a home during the holidays. She has four children, the house is festooned with holiday decor, and she wondered if that was a bad idea.

At the risk of sounding like a "Scrooge", I think almost anything that detracts from the focus on the house,its size, or amenities is a no-no. A few commonsense tips:

Keep your tree, if you have one, to a reasonable size and choose one that doesn't overpower the room and make it look smaller than it is. Don't overdo mantles especially if the tree is in the same room.

Keep all the kiddies Christmas artwork etc., off the fridge and counters clear of gifts, wrapping,cards and the like. Clutter is clutter whether it's the Christmas season or the Fourth of July.

Steer clear of the massive Christmas villages and train sets that will distract buyers who can have limited attention spans.

Don't do anything that will detract from the light in your home like hanging wreaths on all the windows.They are pretty from the outside but may detract sense of space in your home.

Above all, remember that anyone who is looking at homes in the month of December is likely to be a serious buyer.  Allow them to picture their possessions in your home by keeping holiday decor understated- at least for this year.

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SEE ALSO:

Property transfers columns in area Patch communities:

Darien | Fairfield | Greenwich | (Greenwich open houses) | New Canaan | Norwalk | Stamford | Westport | Weston-Redding-Easton | Wilton

The Darien Real Estate topics page, which includes:

• Youtube Open House (videos for homes on the market)

• Open house listings and more on Elaine Falkenberg's real estate blog

• Betsy Nolan's real estate blog

• Ken Allen's real estate blog

• Sara Littlefield's real estate blog