Tips for selling your home around holidays

7 Tips for selling your home around the holidays

​When you think about the holidays, buying or selling a home might not be at the top of your holiday list. But here in Nova Scotia, the market has continued to see strong demand from buyers and many homeowners are taking advantage of the market to get the best price for their home. If you're thinking of listing this holiday season, here are my top tips for selling your home during the holidays.

One of the advantages of selling your home over the holidays is that cozy decorations can make your home feel extra welcoming. Wrap a string of twinkling lights around the bannister, drape a garland over the mantelpiece—but be careful not to overdo it. Large decorations can crowd your home and distract buyers.

Bonus tip: Pack away some of your year-round décor before adding any holiday decorations to avoid overcrowding. 

Your home’s exterior can appear starker and less inviting in the winter months. Take advantage of this warm late-fall weather to enhance your home’s curb appeal by touching up paint, cleaning the gutters, and sprucing up the yard.

And be sure to keep buyers’ safety top of mind if we end up with a 'White Christmas' by keeping stairs and walkways free of snow and ice.

Bonus tip: Take it easy on the inflatable lawn decorations and Griswold-style light displays. Less is more when it comes to exterior decorations. Simple string lights can help play up your home’s architecture and won’t come across as tacky.

Now is not the time to save a few dollars on your heating bill. Make sure you crank the heat to make your home feel warm and inviting for buyers escaping the cold. A cozy home will encourage buyers to linger and admire your home’s best features.

In a seller’s market, it can be tempting to try to push the envelope on price but around the holidays, when fewer buyers are searching, you run the risk of spending too many days on the market and making it harder for serious buyers to find your home.

Looking for more information on pricing? We did a whole newsletter on different pricing strategies: Read it here. ​

Homebuyers are pickier about booking showings when they start to hibernate during the colder months. Make a good impression by offering lots of flattering, high-quality photos of your home.
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Bonus tip: Have spring and summer photos of your home available so buyers can see how your home looks year-round.

Life can be hectic during the holidays, and it may not be convenient to show your home if you’re cooking a holiday meal or if you have plans to celebrate with your bubble. It’s better to block off times that you are unwilling to show your home in advance so that buyers can plan accordingly versus declining showings after you have received the request.

You may receive fewer viewings during the Christmas period—but viewing requests are more likely to be from committed buyers. Remain cool, and refrain from jumping into the first sale.

As we work our way toward the holidays, I'm looking forward to coming up with even more great articles for you to read in the new year. Is there a question we haven't covered yet? Comment below with your top questions on buying and selling homes in Nova Scotia!