We Answer Wednesday - Seasonal Decor while Selling

"Our home is on the resale market, the kids love Halloween and they love to decorate the house.  Should we decorate for Halloween while the house is up for sale or not?"

It's fun to celebrate the holidays with decor and kids love it too but you need to keep in mind that holiday decor can be distracting for buyers.

We definitely recommend staying away from religious decor as it could offend or turn-off some buyers and you never know who is coming to look at your home.

We also recommend you don't go 'over the top' when it comes to decor for the holidays.  Decor can add a lot of clutter into a space making it feel and look cramped which isn't a positive for buyers.  Plus really over the top decor can be a huge distraction - buyers want and need to see the true features of the home like the room sizes, natural light, beautiful kitchens, bathrooms and flooring .

 

If you MUST decorate for the holidays, consider this:

1.  Do NOT decorate for the holidays before photos.  This will date your photos and they won't show off the actual features of your home.

2. Do keep it simple and tasteful.  For Halloween, put up some simple pieces on the exterior.  Nothing scary or gory - if you are in a family friendly area this will work for the buying clientele.
 
 THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF A DON'T FOR HALLOWEEN DECOR - IT IS PRETTY GORY AND BLOODY AND SCARY.

3. Do NOT decorate too early and keep up the decor for a long time.  Think about decorating for the holidays just before and removing everything a day or two after the holiday - don't decorate weeks early and keep it up for months.

4. Do decorate for the season.  So having some fall decor like pumpkins or fall wreath is neutral and welcoming but remember to keep it simple.



Remember once you are settled in your new home you can go all out for holiday decor so maybe this year just collect lots of great ideas.

Halloween House of Horrors - Our favourite Halloween decor ideas

We love Halloween, well let's face it we love any excuse to decorate!  Here are some of our favourite decor ideas for this spook-tacular holiday!  There are so many options ghouly-goregous, boo-tiful and vamp-tastic....find you spooky style and have fun!



We love this fireplace vignette.  It's the right amount of spooky without terrifying your guests.  It's festive and fun but classy at the same time.  The white and black theme isn't too 'Halloween' it still has a designer look about it.






Easy and fun but also subtle.  Try these printables to make your current books look like old spell and potion books.   Perfect for a coffee table!



Creepy floral arrangement...add some spooky and inexpensive spider and snakes to an existing bouquet or opt for a fake floral arrangement and re-use this every year.  Love this for a foyer or coffee table and why not for a centerpiece at your Halloween party!


An easy DIY with foam pumpkins from any craft store and re-purpose those candle sticks ! You can really play around with this idea...orange pumpkins, glitter pumpkins, add some creepy crawlies....so many possibilities!



Instead of a planter to celebrate the fall season, why not a witch's cauldron? Another easy idea with many options...fill it with spooky pieces like this image or make it more child-friendly with cute pumpkins and ghosts!






Love this for a centerpiece or maybe just on the kitchen island!  Re-use old bottles meant for the recycling bin and use some great printables to transform them into spooky poisons and potions!



Simple and festive!  Love this idea for napkin rings...this could be for a dinner party or just for the kids before trick-or-treating!




If you are that house on the street that goes full out and creates a haunted house...this is for you! This "DEAD and Breakfast" sign is amazing and perfect for the DIYer in you! Go to your local hardware store for the posts, chains and the wood for the sign, pumpkins and crows and paint to create the sign are all available at a craft store






In my house, we can't get too scary just yet so we decorate with felt bats, trees, owl and pumpkins...very similar to this image.  It's very family friendly and it looks great!




We love a great Halloween wreath - an easy way to be festive and participate in the holiday ! there are so many options, it could be hard to decide.





Hosting a Halloween party? This is a great idea....give your home that creepy haunted old home look with white sheets covering the furniture (this will also help protect your furniture from spills and crumbs) add some candelabras, candle light and cobwebs and you have the look!



Get create with your vases and fill them with little skeletons, spiders, pumpkins, mice and anything else Halloween.  Add some florist moss and you've got a simple vignette for the fireplace, coffee table or console.  Simple yet effective!

Happy Halloween Home Decor Ideas We Love!

If your home is anything like mine, your children have been buzzing about Halloween for months!  But it's not all about the candy, my kids love the costumes and even more the Halloween Home decor!  It's a fun way to get everyone involved and it's a holiday where you can go overboard and just have fun!  It can be cute or scary...the possibilities are endless.

Here are some of our favourites for the holiday


1.  Witches are a must at Halloween and this one is so easy, all you need is some paint (any shade of green will do), a sharpie, a hat, glasses (optional) and some fall leaves (again optional).  Paint your pumpkin, place it so the stem/nose is facing out and add the decor.  If you are in the pumpkin patch and want a witch that is even spookier look for a pumpkin with lots of bumps or look for a bunch of pumpkins of various shapes and sizes and make a pack of witches, those would look great at on the front step either running up the steps or packed together on a bench or bail of hay. this is perfect for the little ones!



2.  Candy corn, yum!  This is the perfect pinata for a Halloween party or an October Birthday party.  Pinatas take a bit of time to make but they are so much fun!  Fill them up with little toys, stickers, crayons and candy!  For the exterior decor, this one is textured with bits of crushed up tissue paper that are glued to the outside which is a fun craft you can do with the kids or to keep it simple just use paint.



3. Go Glam with your pumpkins!  Perfect for a party for the grown-ups.  Use various pumpkins for interior decor.  Wash them off and use glue and glitter and stencils to make spooky images on your pumpkins.  And just like this image, look for different colours of pumpkins and shapes too





4.  We love these Monster Doors!  Again, so much fun and a great craft to do with the kids and you can do these inside as well (think of all the doors you have inside the house!)  This is also a fun activity for teachers at school, you could have the whole school participate.  You can use any materials you like, get creative and have fun!

 

5. Halloween Mummy wreath for the door requires a bit more effort so maybe a more appropriate activity for older children but it's still lots of fun.  What you need: grapevine wreath, white or silver spray paint (do this outside), latex glove with stuffing like cotton, cardboard, torn fabric. Glow in the dark worms in spray painted wreath

 

6.  Bats, bats, bats!  So simple yet effective!  Cut out bats or various sizes in black construction paper (or stiff black felt, if you want to re-use for future Halloweens) and tape to the exterior.  This would also look great on a light colour garage door or inside at the front entry. I love the clumped effect here, scary but not too scary.  Looks great in the day time, too.

7. Broomstick parking!  simple and humorous.  Re-use those summer planters, add some fall foliage or fake leaves and a bunch of broomsticks, you could even add a spooky sign in chalkboard paint that reads
" Parking for Witches"






 8. Love these luminaries! Another use of mason jars!  Follow these instructions: One layer of acrylic craft paint on the OUTSIDE of the jar was enough for these, but you can add another if you like.Use a Sharpie marker to draw on the face, then  simply painted the facial features with black paint.Once it has dried for a few hours (the longer the better), spray on two coats of clear glaze and light the candles while they are inside the jars.  These could be used outside or inside....





9. Double duty decor!!  Try re-using an outdoor lit Christmas tree, plug it in and add a sheet of white fabric and some black marker or paper for eyes and a mouth.  Or if you want to get more elaborate, take a tomato cage, put it upside down, re-use those white Christmas lights and add the sheet.





10.  Creepy spider webs made from black trash bags!  Love this idea and again so easy!  Click here for the step by step and all you need are scissors, clear tape and trash bags!

Selling and Seasonal Decor

Fall is almost here....I love the fall season!  It's such a beautiful time - crisp air, colourful leaves and harvest time delights.

So now that the harvest season is upon us many of us like the celebrate the new season with festive decor.  Beautiful leaves, corn, pumpkins, gourds, hay and more....but if you are selling your home is this type of decor appropriate? 

After speaking with some local Realtors, they all say YES but in moderation.

Having a fall inspired wreath and the door paired with some pumpkins and gourds in a basket is both warm and welcoming but too much can make the entry feel cluttered and cramped which are negatives when it comes to selling your home.  Emphasizing your porch with pumpkins or a fall pillow on a bench is a positive and buyers will feel warm and fuzzy!



So what about holiday decor?  Well, that too can create an inviting atmosphere but again don't go over board, keep it simple and nothing religious.

For Halloween, keep it tame.  The zombies, skulls and all the gore can go with you to the next home.  If you love the holiday or have little ones that do and need to decorate, less really is more.  Keep it low key and mild.  Not everyone will want to see blood dripping down the windows and dead bodies cut in half with a chainsaw lying on the front lawn plus all of this decor takes away from the home and is very distracting!  Most buyers won't  be able to see past it and there's a very good chance they won't be a second showing.


*This is too much.  It's fun and probably the talk of the street but not good for selling.  It's just overwhelming and distracting!

The Christmas Season  is a tougher time to sell. Fewer buyers are out there but don't forget that if there are buyers out there, they want to buy.  So be sure to focus on having an appealing exterior.
Wreaths, Christmas trees, lights and bows are beautiful and when used correctly can not only create a loving atmosphere but they can highlight gorgeous features of the home like a stunning staircase, high ceilings, over sized windows, and set the scene for the buyers who might be imaging themselves hosting a Christmas dinner in the home. But again, keep it simple, I cannot stress that enough.

1. Don't bring every item out.  The front lawn, the roof and the entry steps do not need to be covered in lights, blow up Santas and glowing reindeer.  Try a wreath and a natural planter at the entry and simple lights highlighting the roof line or a great front yard tree.

2. Religious or too personal (say a family photo of you dressed like Santa's elves) items should stay packed away until you are in your new home. They turn off some buyers. 

3.  Keep the clutter minimal.  Don't fill up every square inch with seasonal decor, it makes the space look and feel small plus from a decor point of view, you can't appreciate the beauty of the decor pieces when there are too many lumped together.No one wants a small or squishy home.

4.  Having a theme (colour theme or a style like modern or country) creates a cohesive look in the home and looks put together.  This will make your home, the home buyers dream of.  Looks matter when it comes to selling your home

5.  Less is more. Ask a friend or honest family member if your seasonal decor is too much.


Selling your home can be a stressful experience and it is important to live your life but if you don't want your home to just sit on the market be sure to always have it looking it's best.  Simplicity is really beautiful.

Whoooooo loves Halloween?

My kids are obsessed with Halloween and really who doesn't love this spooky holiday!

They have already picked out their costumes (Tiger, Robot and Princess) and they can't wait to start decorating the house

Last year, with Hurricane Sandy blowing through we didn't get the chance to really decorate the exterior, but this year we will make up for it!

Here are some ideas I'm going to try this year!

1.  Paper lanterns with votive candles.  Very easy and great for younger children who want to participate in the fun.  White paper bags are best, let them colour the exterior or paste black spooky shapes like cats, witches and ghosts (you can find great pre-cut Halloween shapes at craft stores.  Place them up the stairs or along your walk way and be sure to place the votives inside to keep the paper put (almost like a paper weight).  Lit them up and let them glow!  But be sure to have someone home while they are lit, we don't want any accidents.

2.  Use hardware or craft store foam to create an awesome monster mouth! Be sure to ask the experts at the craft store which paint to use, you don't want the foam to disintegrate.





























3. Re-use those summertime tiki torches.  Add skulls (the dollar store has them for cheap) and poke them through the tiki torch top (before it's lit).  Line up the torches along a walkway or just pop them throughout the garden.  Again, be sure to be home when they are lit.











4.  Leave a bunch of corn brooms at the door with a parking sign.  Much tamer, won't scare the little ones and the parents will get a kick.

5.  Cobwebs! Cobwebs! And more cobwebs!  Cheap but wow, to they make an impact!  Mix them up with other cheap dollar store items like skulls, pumpkins, bats and mix some fall leaves in there too.  How about an old work bench or chair or box to hold a homemade mummy and then bring on the cobwebs.


6.  Get out the wheel barrow and fill it up with soil and dollar store bones and skulls.  Leave it on the front lawn or by the front steps.  To add extra impact, add some grave stone (made of foam) on the front lawn. Oh and don't forget the shovel!




7. Pumpkins can be more than just carved!  Paint them black and light from the inside for a spooky effect.  Glue gun sparkles for some shine.  Get some inspiration from Hollywood movie make up with bruising and blood.  Check out Pinterest for ideas using wax crayons to make prettier pumpkins.  
Think about using the stem as a part of your design, like a witch's nose.




8.  Don't forget the music!  Sound effects of creaky doors, gusting winds, screams and cackles are super scary and perfect for Halloween!

9. How about a Halloween wreath?  Start with a base of black foam or feathers or even grapevine.  Add skulls, bones, spiders, baths and pumpkins.  Make one that will last year to year.  And because it isn't perishable like a carved pumpkin you can put it out as early as you like




 10. Use fallen branches, hanging spiders and foam ravens as an arch way around the front door.  You can add a series of pumpkins, too.  This is pretty but also more age appropriate for younger children
I think I will be doing this one this year and save the spooky stuff for when my children are older.