Curb Appeal: Sellers Should Save Holiday Decor for New Home

It’s a seller’s market in Oxford, which means the inventory of homes and property for sale is currently low. While there are plenty of qualified buyers that are ready, willing and able to buy a home or property, there is not enough inventory to pick through right now.

While this front porch décor is awfully cute and creative, it may distract the potential buyer from seeing the house as theirs. Save your great holiday décor for your new home.
Photo courtesy E. Bickerstaff

If you are thinking of selling your home, this is an opportune time to do so. But if there is a low inventory and you list your home for sale now, does that mean you still have to be concerned about curb appeal? Indeed you do!

Buyers can still be picky and if they can’t see past the poor landscaping or lack of landscaping, if they can’t see past the front door than needs painting, if they can’t see past the out-dated or damaged light fixtures, and if they can’t see past the damaged garage door, those buyers will pass by your home. Most home buyers still want to buy a house that doesn’t need a lot of upgrading or repairing. The cost to repair and replace can add up and probably more so for the new homeowners than for the sellers.

But for the seller, the little things you do on the exterior (and interior) to improve the look of your home now may pay off larger than the amount of cash you put into it. You may get your asking price or close to it. Without the improvements, potential buyers may make demands or make consistently low offers. A good power-washing and landscape repair could make a difference.

So here is what I suggest. Drive around and look at other homes in your area, those comparable to yours. What sets some of those houses apart from yours? Is it the trimmed landscaping? Is it the maintained yard? Is it the cleanliness of the front porch? Is it the siding or brick that is free of mildew? Now look at your house. If you were looking for a new home, what is it about the outside of our house that would make you pass it by? Make a list and work now to improve on those issues.

Do not let the little details of accessories get in the way. In fact, remove your garden art, your Valentines Day wreath from the front door and large bow attached to the mail box. Now look at your house. Do you see the house? That is what you want the buyer to see: the house. The house that the next owner can visualize themselves coming home to everyday. The house they can personalize with their yard art, wreath, bows and flags. But if all the prospective buyer sees is your stuff, it is hard to see it being their next home.

Eileen Saunders is a HottyToddy.com contributor who writes on curb appeal and gardening. A certified Junior Master Gardener Instructor and Master Environmental Educator, Eileen is also a realtor in the Oxford office of Tommy Morgan Inc., Realtors. You can contact Eileen at epsaunders20@gmail.com or call her at 662-404-0816. For more home tips, follow her Facebook page.