The winter holiday season can be a challenging time to prepare your house for sale. Fortunately, staging the outside of your home with potted plants and simple decorations will help attract potential buyers. Try these trimming tips, and you may find yourself celebrating an offer along with the holidays.
Keep it simple.
Add a few cheery touches to stage your home to sell during the winter months while still keeping your décor neutral. Not all buyers celebrate the same holidays, so avoiding overtly religious decorations is a good idea. Your goal is to help buyers visualize themselves living in the space. Decorations should be stylish and elegant. Think fresh greenery, warm white twinkle lights, and a few pops of color from flowers.
Make it complimentary.
When selecting decorations and plants for winter staging, make sure they complement the style of your home. A classic evergreen wreath and matching garland look great with a Victorian, while sleek silver and white accents flatter a contemporary home. Consider the color scheme of your home’s exterior. Will bright red flowers and bows clash with your robin egg blue siding? Maybe a rich cranberry would coordinate better.
Highlight positive elements.
Use accessories to accentuate your home’s selling points. A strand of white twinkle lights or greens can draw attention to unique architectural details. For example, a small kissing ball hung in an archway will help buyers see this unique feature. Beware of adding too many decorative elements, which may obstruct your home’s features. For example, wreaths over windows may look beautiful outside, but they block much-needed natural light inside.
DIY for savings.
Making your own decorations with greenery is easier than you think. Collect pruned evergreen branches and wire together to create garland. If you have a boxwood shrub on your property, snip some small branches to stick in a styrofoam sphere. Add a loop of ribbon, and you’ve got a kissing ball. Buy a circular metal or styrofoam frame from a craft store and then add materials from your yard. Evergreen boughs, magnolia leaves, even pinecones or dried citrus slices make elegant winter wreaths for the doors.
Add potted winter plants.
Poinsettias are classic holiday flowers that look great. They come in shades of white or red and are inexpensive and readily available. Replant them in stylish pots and pair with plants of contrasting texture or color. Evergreen cuttings or a petite rosemary shrub are excellent accompaniments that look great and have pleasing aromas. Finish with a colorful glass ball (or two) or a strand of mini-lights to create a high-end arrangement. Another great plant available at home and garden centers during the winter holidays is the potted cypress. It is inexpensive and makes an excellent addition to your outdoor decor. Use it as is, add mini-lights, or surround it with a circle of white or crimson pansies. Create symmetry by placing identical arrangements on either side of your front steps or entryway.
