How to Get Through the Holidays While Selling Your Home

When Perry Como sang, “There’s no place like home for the holidays,” he didn’t have a For Sale sign in the yard. Juggling last-minute showings and family get-togethers can leave you wanting to catch the next sleigh ride out of town.

We asked Dave’s Facebook fans how they survived selling a home during the holiday season. These tips will have you jingle-bell rocking all the way to the closing table.

Make a List (and Check It Twice)

If you feel overwhelmed by all the things that have to get done each day, why not take a few cues from Santa? That’s how Crystal B. of Frisco, Texas, plans to get through this holiday season.

“I created a checklist to walk through my house every morning,” Crystal says. “[It] takes about 30 minutes, and I have become a little intense about everyone putting their stuff away as soon as they are done with it.”

Keep your home neat as a pin by tackling these simple tasks each day:

• Make up beds
• Wipe down surfaces
• Pick up clutter
• Clear out the sink
• Vacuum or sweep floors

Enlist Holiday Elves

Maintaining a show-ready home during the holidays isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to keep you from enjoying the family traditions you love best. Find balance by leaning on an experienced real estate agent who knows the joys of selling a home this time of year and won’t leave you lingering on the market.

If you host a family get-together, be honest about your selling situation and ask for help tidying up before everyone goes on their merry way. They may be guests, but they’re still family! Don’t be afraid to assign specific tasks to get the job done.

Growing up, Jenna M. remembers helping out when her childhood home was for sale during the holidays. “We all pitched in so the task of having it ready to show wasn't as daunting as it could have been,” Jenna says.

Give Decorations a Deadline

There’s no reason to box up your Christmas spirit this year. But do keep decorations simple—and don’t let them linger too long.

Facebook fan Karen A. learned her lesson the hard way when a buyer noticed exterior holiday lights still up a couple of days after Christmas and saw it as a sure sign the homeowners must not take care of the inside either. “Take everything down ASAP,” Karen advises.

Of course, it’s also possible to deck the halls too early. “Make sure you shoot pictures prior to decorating,” Jordan D., a real estate agent in Fort Worth, Texas, suggests. “Nothing says ‘We’ve been on the market forever’ like pictures with a Christmas tree and now it’s March!”

Keep Family Traditions Alive

Susan M. put her holiday cheer on hold until a couple of weeks before Christmas because she figured no one would be house hunting at that time. One day, as her family decorated gingerbread houses—mess and all—her real estate agent called to schedule a last-minute showing.

“I told her that there was no way I was interrupting this family time, cleaning all this up, and leaving the house,” Susan recalls. The showing went on while Susan’s family continued with their fresh-baked creations.

Those holiday browsers became buyers. “We still live in the same town, and I run into the owners who tell me they bought it because it felt so homey.”

Maybe Perry Como was right. There is no place like home for the holidays.