Holiday Staging Tips

Six Principles to Holiday Staging To Sell
by Melissa Dittmann Tracey

The key to holiday decorating is to keep the decor high quality and color-coordinated. If you plan on staging a home for the holidays, here are some important things to keep in mind.

1. Don't overdo the holiday cheer.

When Santas start to outnumber the rooms in the house, you may want to start being more selective in what you display.

"If it is 'cute' it stays packed" says Joanne O'Donnell, president and CEO of Chic Home Interiors, who offers holiday staging services. "Cute is not a universal concept and the surest way to avoid trouble is to keep it simple and elegant."

The same staging principles apply during the holidays: Don't overwhelm the space with clutter.

"For every holiday decor item put on display, temporarily pack something you keep out all the time . That way you can avoid over-decorating," says staging pro Tori Lynn Wallitsch.

2. Add splashes of holiday colors.

Psychology research on color responses has shown that warm colors, such as red, can increase excitement and energy in those viewing it. Pops of seasonal colors--such as red or green-- add festive cheer to a home too and can be as simple as just adding a red everyday throw to the sofa or adding poinsettias throughout the home.

Add greenery to fireplace mantels or as a base for the dining room table centerpieces.

But when bringing in holiday colors, be careful not to clash with your home's current color scheme.

3. Stage for the senses.

Get buyers in the mood with some holiday music and the smell of Christmas filling the home. Christmas music--mixed with holiday scents--has been shown to boost people's attitudes in retail stores and increase their likelihood of wanting to visit them.

For scents O'Donnell recommends adding a pot of mulling spices or cider. The Smell of Christmas by Aromatique is a favorite of Cunnighham's or candles that smell like pine or fresh baked cookies can create holiday season scents too.

But if you're going to include a holiday scent just don't forget the music.

4. Keep the tree simple, yet elegant.The Christmas tree will likely be your biggest decor piece so it needs to make a statement. Use a sting of lights for every foot of tree, suggest Cunnighham's. In other words, if you have a 7-foot tree, use at least 700 lights(she prefers the white twinkling ones.)

5. Give a holiday impression from the curb.

You needn't be able to view your outdoor holiday lights from space, Clark Griswold, to show your holiday spirit. Twinkling clear, white lights tend to be favorite among staging professionals for classy holiday curb appeal.

Here some holiday curb appeal tips:

•Add poinsettias: Plant several poinsettias in group of three or five close together in the garden.

•Hang a wreath on the front door.

•Have battery-operated candle lamps in each of the windows for extra glow.

•Make the deck sparkle.

6. Remove decor after the holidays.

Christmas in July isn't for everyone, so in general, wait to decorate for the holidays until after Thanksgiving and be sure your decoration are removed promptly by New Year's.

My Comments:

One important tip I would like to recommend is to avoid displaying Christmas cards and stockings.  We all like to showcase our cards and hang our stockings around the fireplace or stair railing, myself included, but not when your home is on the market.  Inex:  usually the fireplace is the focal point of the room and you don't want buyer's to miss that very important feature.  A cozy and clutter free mantel sets the stage for a warm and welcoming mood. 

I also want to emphasize that "less is more".  A lot of Christmas decorations will distract the buyers from noticing all the features of your home.  Instead of remembering the spacious floor plan, awesome kitchen and all the other wonderful features of your home, buyers will walk away with the memory of "oh yeah, that's the house with all the Christmas stuff".  Trust me, I've heard this so many times.

I also couldn't agree more with taking all the decorations down by New Years.  I would like to add that if your home was placed on the market in December and photos were taken, please have the agent redo a photo shoot without the Christmas decorations.  Nothing is worse than to see a home online or in the MLS in February or beyond and have Christmas trees, etc., in the photos.

However, most importantly, enjoy your Christmas holiday season!  If you are one who enjoys going all out on decorating for Christmas and you don't have to sell immediately, it may be better for you to wait until January to place your home on the market.

Hope this helps!