Should clients be allowed to decorate their homes for the holidays? We look at a few perspectives on the topic.

By Peter Ricci

We all get a kick out of walking around our neighborhoods and surveying everyone’s holiday decorations, and indeed, few things looks nicer than a brightly-lit, tastefully-decorated home in the wintry months.

But what about homes you are planning to list? Do you allow clients to decorate their homes as they please, or caution restraint?

A Real Estate Christmas – Decorating Client’s Homes

As with most topics involving the buying and selling of real estate, there is no “right” answer on whether clients should decorate their homes or not, but here are three perspectives to consider:

1. Keep ’em modest – If you do allow your clients to decorate their properties for the holidays, it would be wise to caution modesty with their decorations. The examples we linked to above featured nothing more than bright lights and garlands, and they were enormously appealing for their restraint, whereas properties with overwhelming amounts of lights and blow-up decorations will likely scare away any prospective homebuyers.

2. Keep ’em AWAY from the MLS! – Regarding interior decorations, be similarly intent on modesty and restraint, and be absolutely certain that decorations do not show up in your MLS photos for the property. Aside from the potential corniness of such photos, keep in mind that the home may not sell in December, and what looks more appealing than a photo of this in February?

3. Avoid ’em altogether – Rather than beat around the bush and try to incorporate Christmas decorations, some agents think it better to avoid them altogether, and admittedly, that approach does have some appeal. After all, you avoid offending any potential buyers, you don’t risk obscuring some of the property’s most impressive features (decorations can be great at covering up fireplaces, columns, etc.) and you allow those buyers to better envision how they would look in the home as its owners.