Yes, you are quite busy with family preparations, decorating, baking, gift buying and wrapping, entertaining, extra volunteer activities, and perhaps a holiday pageant or two, and you can make it all work in your favor. 

This is very likely the exact family situation in which your buyers want to envision themselves.  So help them to see how they will enjoy your house.

While particular family activities may differ for each holiday - birthdays, anniversaries, religious, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years - they ALL provide special opportunities to market and sell your house.

Let's take a closer look at the Christmas season as an example.

A basket of gift wrap in the corner, the tree all decorated or with baskets of decorations nearby and ready to hang, the smell of cookies cooling on a rack, or the sight of those cookies in cellophane wrapped festive plates all ready to deliver - all are strong emotional cues to every family when showing a home. 

Even a work in progress can be charming if tidied up a bit just as you leave for the showing.  A bag of canned goods by the door, for the needy family adopted by your church community, is transformed from a simple bag of groceries to a package of love when the bag is festive and a bow attached.  With the help of your RealtorŪ to stage your house so that you can enjoy the holiday season and stay prepared for showings too, you have a great opportunity to sell your house and begin the New Year with your next home in sight.

You may think you should take your home off the market during the holidays because there are fewer buyers out there.  Well, consider this: Any buyers out there during holiday periods are very serious about making a home purchase.  And those are the ones we love to work with. 

During any lull in the market, the less serious buyers drop out.  Those that must find a home keep looking.  Often relocating families don't have a choice in the timing of their move.  Other buyers may have planned to purchase sooner, but had to wait till their previous home was sold.  Now they need a home and have the ability to purchase.

Because most homeowners are under the false impression that their home won't sell during the holidays, you have the added advantage of less competition for those most serious buyers.

So, suppose you get an offer during this busy season? Are you expected to move out in order to provide your buyers a happy holiday? It's all negotiable.  Terms are every bit as important as price, and your RealtorŪ should be working toward terms you can live with. 

So let your RealtorŪ work for you.  While you are shopping, working at your job, volunteering, taking care of your family and ensuring a happy holiday for all of you, your RealtorŪ is marketing your home, arranging showings and doing everything to bring in your buyer. 

The holidays are a wonderful selling period if your house is available.  Call me to put over sixteen years of Real Estate experience in the O'Fallon - Scott AFB, Illinois communities to work for you.  Let's sell your house during this or any holiday season.  You'll soon be looking ahead to your next home.