HOUSE, HOLIDAYS & GUESTS

The House is Listed,  The Holidays Are Here, & Guest Are Arriving!  Having your house on the market to sell during the holiday's is challenging enough as it is.  You are constantly having to keep the house picked up, staged, the kitchens & bathrooms sparkling clean, eliminate any food or pet odors and shuffle everyone out of the house when you have a showing.  It's not easy to live in a "showing condition" home while it's on the market.

Try adding out of town guest and Holiday decorations and you've got the ingredients for a huge disaster or with a few simple tips and some planning ahead, it can be one of the best holidays ever.

1. Try to keep the holiday decorations to a minimum.  Put a simple wreath on the door, remove a few accessories to replace  them with special holiday accessories and keep the clutter down as much as possible.   It won't be much different from "non-holiday" staging,  however will still create the spirit of the  holiday's.

2. Prepare quests in advance, that your house is going to remain on the market during this time while they are visiting.  You may even want to place a check list in their room or central location of the house so that everyone knows what tasks need to be completed in case of a last minute showing call. 

3. Be sure to provide your guests with as much storage as possible.  Somewhere to hide their luggage, a tray to corral their toiletries or tote to use so they can be stashed under the vanity in a hurry.   Keep the throw pillows on their beds to a minimum so they won't have to worry if the bed is made up exactly the way you want it.  KISS....Keep It  Simple Silly!

4. Provide them with a map of your area, special events they may be interested in attending, movie showings & times so they/you will have something fun to do while the house is being shown.  I've heard of some showings taking as long as 2 or more hours.  If your house is being viewed that long by a potential buyer, that's a great sign and you certainly don't want to rush them into a decision that might keep them from buying your property because you and/or your guest came home too early.

5.  Plan on having some of your meals out.  This will  help keep the food odors down, although some holiday baking fragrances have been known to create a special "Welcome Home" feeling  for a buyer and we all know emotions are a huge factor in making a decision on purchasing a new home.

I hope you have a Great Holiday Season and a Merry Christmas.