And so it begins with Halloween–the holiday season when home decorations, both outdoor and indoor–proliferate through the new year. If you home is on the market now, you can still bring out the decorations, but with some cautions.
Curb appeal is the first step to entice buyers through the front door. First impressions alone can sell your home. Little goblins and ghosts are accompanied with parents who may be in the home buying frame of mind. Be prepared to make the most of your curb appeal by toning down the decorations, especially for Halloween, so that potential buyers can actually see your home. Here are some helpful tips.
Safety first. Always. Keep the walk in front of and to your home clean and debris-free. Make sure the walkway is well lighted to avoid accidents. This Halloween, go more for the fall look with pumpkins and flowers rather than a collection of screeching bats, frantic witches, and lose that yellow caution tape. You’re selling a home, not a disaster site. And, no towering, spooky inflatable lawn ornaments. Please.
You’ve had all of your windows washed, right? Let the light in. This year, avoid taping paper decorations to your windows. Turn the lights on and create a warm autumn atmosphere inside your living room. This cozy tableau will help buyers see themselves sitting by the fire.
Decorations do not linger. The day after Halloween, take down all decorations. It’s back to staging the best curb appeal possible. Sellers who leave decorations up long after the “sell by” date can be perceived as not caring much for their property.
The day after the decorations go down, check your property for trash, trampled flowers and stray candy. Freshen your landscape again–trim bushes, rake leaves, wash the driveway and add a beautiful autumn wreath on your front door.
Even though you may be known in your neighborhood for the biggest, spookiest, rockin’ Halloween decorations, keep in mind you can do that all over again next year in your new home. This year is all about attracting buyers.
