If you plan to sell your home this fall or winter, you may be wondering about staging your home through the holidays. Staging is key in selling your home during any time throughout the year. Staging your home can be a little tricky during the holidays, as you don’t want to offend or overwhelm potential buyers. Follow these tips for staging your home through the holidays, and it could help you find just the right buyer!

Holidays are coming in quick succession. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s (among others) follow in just the next three months. If you’ve sold a home before, you know that three months can fly by in the process, so you must consider how your home will show when you decorate for holidays.

Think seasonal when staging your home through the holidays.

Sometimes, decorating subtly for the season is a better idea than overwhelming your home for a specific holiday. You can stay festive without getting to religious or even kitschy. For October and November, consider fall-themed decor. Pumpkins and autumn colors and fall leaves are usually appealing to most when used in moderation. In December and January, you might opt for pine accents and snow-themed decor. These will help your home appeal to the warmth of the holiday season without isolating anyone.

Consider your decor palette when decorating.

If your usual holiday decorations don’t coordinate with your existing palette, maybe this is the year to forgo those. For example, if you have a very neutral palette, you may consider mostly white or ivory lights and decorations for your holiday decor. The idea is for the decorations to help remind of the holiday but not scream that it is out of place in your home.

Use decor to highlight positive features of the home.

This tip, as the previous, can apply to both the exterior and interior of your home. If you decorate the exterior of your home for holidays, use simple lights to accentuate positive architectural features of the home of beautiful landscaping or foliage. If you are trying to sell your home, it is a good idea to pass up the huge inflatables or silly figures you may usually place in your yard. Some might consider those tacky, and again, the idea is to not isolate any potential buyers.

Inside, you may use lights or garland or both to accentuate your mantel as a focal point in your living room. Or you might hang mistletoe in a beautifully arched doorway. Maybe a tall, slim tree will help draw attention to the high ceilings without taking up too much floor space. Use decor to draw the eye to the best parts of your home.

Warm things up for showings.

As the temperatures cool off (even a little here in Texas), home showings are a great opportunity for you to provide a warm, inviting escape from the elements. Make sure your heater is working well and maybe even light the fireplace. The more you can do to draw a potential buyer into your home, the longer they will want to stay. If they stay longer, they will have more opportunity to fall in love with the space. Warming the home to help with staging your home through the holidays will pay off in the sale.

The last few months of the year provide a unique opportunity in staging your home through the holidays. Using the good cheer of the season can help your home show well and be more inviting.