Tone Down the Outdoor Decorations

Tip #5: The Outdoor Decorations

One person's trash is another person's treasure. But, at the holidays, one person's festive display is another person's tacky nightmare. Please don't get me wrong. I enjoy a profusion holiday lights and props. Rarely, though, does an over-the-top display featuring a light-up nativity next to Frosty the Snowman next to Santa's sleigh next to a blow-up snow globe with a penguin in it with lights zigzagged throughout the yard and strung willy-nilly among the trees and from the eaves inspire me to say, "Gee, I'd love to live here!" More likely, I will appreciate their enthusiasm, but I won't be compelled to replicate it in my own yard.

Consider your buyers' feelings when approaching a staged house. Most showings will happen during the daylight hours. And, many of the lighted decorations really look their best when lit. Often, they just look a little sad and tacky in the harsh light of day. I suggest you decorate with wreaths or evergreen boughs with bows and electric candles. These decorations don't lose impact in the daylight hours. While they might be enhanced by a spotlight on them at night, they still look welcoming, timeless and cheerful during the day.

My husband and I went for a walk yesterday and came across many tastefully decorated houses. I actually said, "Wow! That's a great house. I'd love to live there!" a couple of times, mostly just based on the impact of the decorations set against the backdrop of the house. Decorations that we saw and that looked lovely in the day included a wreath hanging from a broad red ribbon in every window and on the door, pine bough sprays in every window sill with a red bow and a candle (the candle, of course, was inside), large snowflakes in each window, garland wound around columns and railings, and large red bows on the rockers on the porch. Decorations that did not play so well in the daytime included lots of strings of lights--they just looked a little sad during the day--and large prismatic light-up snowmen and Christmas trains. If you simply must have a large blow-up Santa in the yard, make sure the fan is on during showings. There is nothing sadder than a crumpled up Santa in the middle of the yard.