Preparing For The Holidays While Trying To Sell Your Home

Real estate agents will tell you that selling your home during the holidays can be challenging, but it can certainly be done. Of course, you still have a family who deserves to have a wonderful season full of festive dinners and lots of socializing. Balancing the two can seem impossible, but if you remain flexible, you can do justice to selling your home while keeping your holiday spirit.

Decorations

You should decorate your home, but you do have to keep space in mind. You may be used to packing your house with several trees and figurines, but remember that buyers will be put off by cramped spaces. Try putting out only the family favorites. To lessen disappointment, let every family member pick one special item to display. If you are used to having a real holiday tree, consider going artificial, at least for this one season. Tree debris can cause allergic symptoms among some people, and you don't want your potential buyers sniffling and sneezing through their tour. Also, you don't want to be vacuuming up tree debris every five minutes. Do tastefully decorate your yard. Some white lights on the shrubbery can look elegant. Skip the giant inflatable Frosty. 

Festivities

You need to let yourself off the hook a bit while trying to sell your home. You simply can't keep it ready to show and host multiple family dinners and your child's holiday choir. If it is your turn to have the family over, consider renting a private room at a restaurant. If that option doesn't appeal to you, switch years with your sister-in-law and take your turn next year. If there is no getting out of hosting a meal, have it catered. Holiday baking tastes wonderful, but you need to keep your appliances clean and shining and the sink free of greasy dishes. It's okay, just this once, to have someone else do the cooking and baking. Serve it up on bright red paper plates and relax. The holidays are supposed to be about enjoyment, not stress. 

Combining a home sale with the holidays can be a recipe for a nervous breakdown, but if you approach the season properly, you can not only survive: you can thrive. Scale down the decorations and let someone else do the cooking. Emphasize family togetherness and don't try to impress anyone with your holiday planning. Also, if you get a chance, book a massage and keep the wine handy.