Holidays can be a lot of fun and many homeowners like to decorate the house with festive displays. If they are also putting their home on the market, the decorations become a problem. While it’s hoped that there will be a sale in a short period of time, in the winter months when the market is slow a listing could be active for an extended period of time. If the photos include holiday specific decorations, it obvious to buyers that the home they are viewing may have been on the market for some time. A photo with a Christmas tree in the living room being viewed in February may attract low ball offers from people thinking that the seller may be getting desperate. Decorations also add a lot of visual clutter.

To keep from needing to reshoot photos after the holidays, advising a client to have the photos done prior to decorating or putting off listing the property until after the holidays may be good advice. An agent can still get the home under contract and simply have the seller execute a delayed listing form that is filed where the agent is a member of an MLS.

Having homes decluttered and staged to be sold can mean a faster sale and better offers. Photos look better and have more “pop” when homes are properly groomed before a sale. If an owner has made up their mind to sell, it’s a listings agents duty to make sure they will attract buyers and are set up to get the most value from the sale in the least amount of time.