Is selling your house over the holidays a good idea?

In this blog, we’ll look at the pros and cons of listing your home over the Christmas holidays. We’ll discuss why this could be a good time to list your home and give you a few tips on how to stage your home properly so that it sells quickly and achieves a good price.

Firstly, let's look at the advantages of listing your home at Christmas. These may not apply to all homes and each neighbourhood is different. But generally speaking, these are the four main advantages of selling your home during the Christmas holidays.

Most people, real estate agents included, regard the Spring as the ideal time to list your home. So listing at Christmas seems counterintuitive for most people, but it can work to your advantage. With fewer homes on the market, there is less competition. This can lead to offers being made much more quickly than other times of the year.

With fewer homes on the market buyers are more likely to make an offer close to your asking price. If you live in a popular area where few homes come on the market, you can achieve offers far above the asking price. So if you live in a desirable neighbourhood, listing at Christmas will work to your advantage.

Buyers looking to buy a home over the Christmas holidays are likely to be serious buyers. They have most likely been looking for a while and are desperate to find the right home. This will lead to serious offers being made and is one of the main reasons why homes often achieve higher prices at this time of year.

With Christmas falling at the start of summer, people are often in a good mood at this time of year. The bright sunshine and long days are also ideal conditions for showcasing your home. Christmas decorations can also make your home appear more family-friendly. By showcasing your home properly, you can use this to your advantage.

There are also a few negatives to listing your home at Christmas. However, none of these are deal-breakers and you can mitigate the effects by planning ahead.

This is the holiday season, and most people would prefer to spend it with their family than out house hunting. A lot of people are also away travelling at this time of year, either on a well-earned summer break or visiting family and friends. This can mean fewer buyers out there. But as previously mentioned, the few buyers there are out there are serious buyers.

Agents being closed over the holiday period is also something to think about. Most real estate agents are closed from December 24th to January 3rd, so you may find viewings in short supply over this period. You can, of course, counteract this by listing your home with an agent who is available over the holidays.

Christmas is a stressful time of year at the best of times, but especially so if you are selling your home. You will have to make sure your home is presentable at all times over the holidays. This can be a challenge, especially if you have young children who just want to play with their new toys.

If you decide to sell at Christmas, you need to be careful about how you stage your home. When staging a home we usually recommend decluttering the space. And this rule still applies at Christmas. You don’t want to replace your clutter with lots of Christmas decorations.

But that doesn’t mean you should avoid putting up decorations altogether. Nothing makes a home appear more downbeat over the holidays than a lack of decorations. You just need to find the right balance between making your home feel festive without cluttering up the rooms.

One of the first places to start is to place a nice garland on the front door. This will make the home feel welcoming and put potential buyers in a good mood as they view the rest of your property.

You should follow this up by placing tasteful evergreen garlands and candles around the home. Try to avoid garish tinsel and tacky Happy Christmas garlands which may put buyers off. You should also avoid religious items if at all possible.

If you have a tree, make sure it is an appropriate size for the room. Nothing makes a room feel small than an oversized Christmas tree. A small tabletop tree is a great alternative to a full-size tree in smaller homes.

Of course, if you have a large double-height hallway, there is nothing to stop you from showing this off to its full potential by having a majestic full-size tree. Just make sure it is appropriately sized and tastefully decorated.

Then there are presents to think about. If you show your home before Christmas, try to keep your presents safely locked away. You can put a few under the tree for effect, but keep the rest in boxes until the big day.

If you show your home after Christmas, make sure all the boxes and wrapping paper have been tidied away. You also need to make sure the kids tidy their toys away after playing with them. This should keep your home reasonably tidy for any impromptu viewings.

If you are thinking of selling your home over the festive holidays, get in touch with me, Matthew Griffin. As one of Queensland's most experienced real estate agents, I can help advise you about how to list your home to find a buyer quickly over the holiday period.

Our office is also open during the holiday period so we can arrange viewings between Christmas and New Year period. You can get in touch with me by completing the contact form here, or calling the office on (07) 3054 7060.