Don’t let anyone tell you selling your home over Christmas isn’t a good idea. The sun is in full swing, everyone is getting into the holiday spirit, and you’ve got less competition. What is the worst that could go wrong? If your home doesn’t go quickly it will eventually be sold anyway, but to help finalise the sale as early as possible we’re going to look at a few cool tips for maximising your chances of saying goodbye to it before next spring.
Go Easy On The Decorations
I know the sun will be shining brightly, but you don’t want potential buyers to think they’re buying a home in the middle of Lapland. That doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t get into the Christmas spirit a little, but go easy on the decorations. Your curb appeal will take a big hit if you have lights covering your walls and reindeers sprawled across the garden. If you have young children you can always throw up more lavish decorations before stripping them down again in the days just before and after Santa comes.
Ask For More Money
You must take advantage of the fact less people will be trying to sell their home over the holidays, which means asking for more money. Will you get a lot more for your home than you were hoping for? It’s certainly not guaranteed, but when there are less options for people desperate to buy they might have to pay over the odds unless they’re prepared to delay their life for a few months. They’ll also be aware there will be more buyers competing for the same homes as we head deeper into the new year.
Paint Your Outside Walls
You have an advantage over residents of most other countries when selling your home over Christmas. They’ll have to put up with constant storms and lots of snow, so it’s not a good idea to paint the outside walls when it’s always wet. You will be able to make sure your home looks almost brand new by giving the walls a quick lick of paint. It might not seem like a big deal, but on a subconscious level people will pay extra money for a newer looking home.
Your Garden Should Come Alive
Another big bonus you have when selling your home in the hot weather is the way you can transform the look of your garden with beautiful flowers. It’s something you can’t do in the middle of winter, so it would be crazy not to seize the opportunity over Christmas. The only thing to watch out for is not going overboard, because if your garden is too spectacular it can put buyers off as they’ll assume it will take a lot of upkeep.
It Even Smells Like Christmas
Potential buyers might not like to see too many decorations as they’ll find it harder to imagine living in your home, but they’ll never tire of amazing smells. This trick is used constantly and usually involves freshly baked cookies, but add a festive touch by baking a Christmas cake. You can experiment with other smells, but you should only use one as they don’t always mix well together.
Avoid Playing Christmas Songs
You can usually put people into 2 categories during the Christmas holidays. Some will love festive songs and their mood will increase dramatically upon hearing any, whereas others are so sick of the same songs being played over and over again they’ll want to scream. You will never be able to please everyone, so it would be better to err on the side of caution and forget about songs. I mention this only because some people do actually have them blaring through their home as potential buyers look around.
Don’t Skip Any Of Them Out
Each of these tips is designed to help you sell your home quickly over Christmas, but also so you can make as much money as possible in the process. Don’t skip anything we’ve talked about today unless you want to put yourself at a disadvantage, because they’ll work better in unison with each other. Even if your home doesn’t get sold you’ll still have a smile on your face when Santa comes down your chimney, so don’t let the pressure get to you.
