Can I still decorate if my house is on the market?

Yes. Just be strategic. Here's a great article from Re/Max times about that very topic. If you're not sure whether or not you've gone too far, I'd be happy to come take a look. It is better for me to tell you that your Christmas Tree is blocking the flow from the entry way, than for another agent to tell me that her buyer thought your house was too small!

Selling During the Holidays: Go Easy on Decorations

Are your clients hoping there will be a Sold sign in their yard this holiday season? RE/MAX Northern Illinois Regional Director Jim Merrion and several Associates from his region offer thoughts on how to advise sellers against going overboard with holiday decorations.

"Layering on lots of holiday decorations inside and outside the house is one way to attract attention, but not necessarily the best way," Merrion says. "When it comes to holiday decor, restraint is the best approach. It's not that sellers shouldn't decorate for the holidays, but you don't want the seasonal touches to obscure the intrinsic appeal of the home."

The flip side of too much holiday decor, according to Merrion, is the impulse among some sellers to take their home off the market during the holidays because buyers are less active.

"It's true that fewer buyers are active during the months of November, December and January than at other times of the year, but those buyers who are in the market are usually quite serious about finding a home quickly," Merrion says. "Otherwise they, too, would be doing other things at this time year. Just a handful of showings during the holiday season can be more productive than a dozen showings in spring. Remember, it may take only one showing to generate a sales contract."

So what advice can Associates give sellers to improve the chances of offers landing in their holiday stockings?

1. Select and place the Christmas tree carefully so that it doesn't overwhelm the room.

"A tree that's too big for the room it's in really creates problems by making the whole house look small in comparison," says Paul Wells, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX of Barrington in Barrington, Ill. "If it's my listing, we spend time talking about the tree. I urge my sellers to make sure their tree fits comfortably in the room. A tree can look relatively small out at the Christmas tree lot, but then look huge when it's in a house."

2. Outside the house, use restrained yet festive exterior decorations to welcome visitors. An elegant wreath hung on the front door may be preferable to an inflatable snowman.

3. If you have traditional holiday decorations you want to display inside your home, think about putting away some of your non-holiday things so that rooms don't look cluttered. In the room where the tree is placed, consider removing some furniture rather than just rearranging it.

"It's really a matter of moving ahead and using your home as you normally would," said Louise Clark, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Property Associates in Morrison, Ill. "Buyers understand that families live in the homes they visit - they make allowances for that - so sellers can have presents under the tree and lights in the yard. Still, the house needs to look neat, and you don't want the decorations to be a barrier that makes it difficult for buyers to get a good look at things, such as room dimensions, traffic patterns, window views and other important factors."

4. Use holiday decor to draw attention to the strongest features of the home. If there's a beautiful mantelpiece, use one or two eye-catching decorations to highlight it, but don't hide it under a layer of garland. Instead, use the garland to frame windows that offer an attractive view of the yard or the skyline.

5. Winter tends to be a dark time of year, so keep plenty of lights on inside the house when buyers are coming. Also, leave the drapes or blinds open, especially during daylight hours, so that the home seems as bright as possible.

6. Sharing a little holiday hospitality with buyers can be a good strategy, especially during an open house in December.

Michele Rossi of RE/MAX Accord in Bloomingdale, Ill., reports that at holiday open houses, "we roast almonds with a sugar cinnamon coating. The smell is intoxicating, not to mention that it tastes wonderful, too. We wrap the almonds in cheesecloth tied with a festive ribbon to give to buyers who stop in. We also offer a cup of hot wassail made with a great old recipe."

A final thought for sellers at this time of year, Merrion says, is to avoid making buyers feel like they're intruding.

"Even though the sellers are celebrating the holiday season, they need to convey the impression that they're serious about selling their home," he says. "They need to keep the front walk clear of ice and snow, and make sure the kitchen and baths look their best for showings. They probably won't see that many buyers this time of year, but those they do see are great prospects, so they must do their best to impress them."