Selling a Home During the Holidays

Sellers with homes on the market in December should take advantage of the holiday season and make their homes look festive. That's exactly what one Annapolis homeowner did when he put his Colonial-style home at 904 Plattner Ct. on the market earlier this month. He wrapped the entry columns with pine garland and draped it across the entrance, and added white lights to make the home a standout on the street at night.

Holiday activities combined with the colder weather is often enough to make homeowners want to give up on selling their home during the busy holiday season."Some people take their home off the market during the holiday for safety's sake because they have all of the presents out in the house, and because of the inconvenience factor," said Margaret Woda, a Realtor with Long and Foster in Crofton.

Even so, Woda and other real estate experts say keeping that "for sale" sign in the yard all month may be a good idea. There are advantages to having a home on the market in December, even while most people are consumed with shopping, traveling and spreading good cheer.

"There's less competition among the homes that are on the market and the buyers who are out there are serious," said Woda.

She added that in many instances the buyers who are looking for homes around this time of year usually expect to transfer in January, February or March.

"They may take advantage of the down time at work to come out and look at houses for sale," said Woda.

Since the inventory of homes on the market is often lower after Thanksgiving than at other times of the year, Realtors agree that any new listing on the market will attract attention.

During the months of December and January, sellers can often get more for their homes, according to Bill Franklin, an agent with Long and Foster in Bowie who also has listings in Anne Arundel County.

"There are less listings so it's less competitive," said Franklin.

He said that last year, he sold a house in December that had a swimming pool.

"Homes on the market show better during the holidays than any other time of year," Franklin said, adding that if a home doesn't show well during the holidays then it won't show well at all.

However, while Woda also encourages holiday decorations for homes on the market during the holiday season, she warns sellers to keep it simple and not overdo it. It's important to not make the home look cluttered and Woda suggests removing things like the bookcase filled with 100 Christmas angels.

The four-bedroom home in Annapolis shown in the photos is currently on the market. For more information, see the listing agent's website or contact Morgan Knull at 202-431-9867 or morgan@knull.com.