Tackling a Halloween Home Sale? Here’s How

Selling your home during a holiday brings up a question of balance: How do you celebrate and keep things festive, while still keeping your home attractive to buyers? 

After all, it’s a good bet that most potential buyers won’t love walking past the Grim Reaper on their way to your front door—but if you and your family are still living in the house, you probably want to enjoy the holiday similarly to the way you always have. 

Here are some tips for selling your home during Halloween. 

  • Keep your Halloween decor low-key, and more fall-themed than scary.

Decorating the outside doesn’t have to be entirely off-limits, especially if you emphasize the season—fall—over the specific holiday. 

Pumpkins and gourds, fall wreaths, and cinnamon brooms can add a festive air without just screaming Halloween. If you do want to add some Halloween-specific decorations, stick to things like cute friendly ghosts in the trees, a stylish black cat silhouette or two, and maybe some twinkle lights. 

These kinds of decorations will make your house feel homey, without going overboard. 

  • Get your photos done before you put up any decorations. 

Real estate agents agree that professional photos are one of the most important elements of selling a home quickly and for as much money as possible. So when you have your professional photos taken, make sure that they’re season- and holiday-agnostic—in other words, wait to put out those throw pillows that say “Boo!” and hang those little plastic ghost lights until after your home has been photographed. 

Not only will this make your home more appealing to a wider audience, but holiday touches like that can draw attention to when your home was listed. If it’s been on the market for some time, you’ll want to downplay that, not emphasize it. 

  • Make the most of the “treats” aspect of the holiday.

You may have been in homes that offered freshly-baked cookies, or lemonade as an added touch for prospective buyers touring the house. 

Well, there’s no reason you can’t take advantage of the treat aspect of “trick-or-treat” when you’re selling your home during Halloween. Small, tasteful bowls of candy corn or other Halloween-themed treats throughout the home can become a fun, memorable detail that buyers recall after touring your home. 

  • Choose faux over real when possible. 

If you’ll be decorating with pumpkins or gourds, consider choosing the faux variety, rather than real. 

Faux pumpkins won’t rot or start to smell, nor will they attract rodents or insects—all good things when you’re having potential buyers up and down your front porch stairs day after day. 

  • Add some high-quality fliers near the door for parents on Halloween night. 

If you’re giving out candy on Halloween night, it might not hurt to invest in some informational fliers to keep near the door. As trick-or-treaters trickle through, the fliers may catch a parent’s eye, and even if they don’t keep it for themselves, they may pass it along to someone they know who’s looking to buy.  

Selling your house on Halloween doesn’t have to be spooky! Stick to these tips, and you’ll have a buyer in no time.