Do Christmas Decorations Devalue your Home?

Christmas Decorations - Good or Bad for Selling

It’s that time of the year (though to be honest many have put them up a lot earlier due to the depressing covid-19 situation) that we look to put up Christmas decorations. From popping up in to the loft to retrieve that reliable old fake Christmas tree to spending the afternoon outside attaching all those lights to impress the neighbours and delight the children faces as they pass by.

What happens though if you are home hunting or home selling during the Christmas period – Can decorations effect either the price or the impression of the neighbourhood?

Nine times out of ten Christmas decorations will be fine. It is that time of the year and most people will expect the likes of trees up, lights outside, inflatable Santas, tinsel, strings of cards and even a wreath on the door! It’s the season to be jolly and getting in character is not a problem. Who doesn’t love a bit of Christmas!

A property without decorations might very well feel cold and without character, a turn off for some. It might be a surprise and a question mark to some if they enter a property to view at Christmas at it is devoid of any decorations. This of course will depend on who is selling the property as they may not celebrate or wish to celebrate Christmas and this might likely be highlighted by the agent doing to viewing is any questions are raised

Negative points to consider with Christmas Decorations when selling a property

There are always negatives or downfalls though these are not drastic and rely mostly on common sense.

  • Too much Christmas decorations: Though it could be the more the merrier for many, sometimes too much can effect the viewing of your property. The main concern will be towards reducing the size of rooms with too much Christmas themed stuff around, though it could also effect the concentration of those viewing who will be mostly sizing up rooms and imagining their own furnishing in the property.
  • Effecting the viewings: Though whom ever enters a home needs to respect Christmas decorations as the choice of the owner, it might offend some people and put a touch of negativity in the mind of the potential buyers. This situation would be more likely a second home or one not lived in which might benefit better with no decorations – Most people will understand that religious events are celebrated by the home owner.
  • External lights and displays: Though without question a road full of impressive property with amazing light displays is a great attraction, it could turn some buyers off as they fear the extra traffic each year during the festive period and may view the neighbours as too outgoing. This situation could be both positive and negative as some will look at it in a different way and engage with the personality the street holds.
  • Interior Design quality Christmas decorations: Nearly all of us will put the decorations up ourselves or with the help of family and loved ones, who doesn’t love decorating the Christmas tree with children participating. Though the quality and layout of the decorations could add something more to the value and desirability of your home. We all know and love those images we see online / in magazines / on television adverts of those perfect homes with beautiful Christmas decoration displays – Sometimes taking some tips on how to present your house for sale during Christmas isn’t a bad idea and with Google holding 139 million search results for this topic then you have plenty of ‘how to‘ instructions.
  • Christmas scent: If you want to really push home that Christmas feel then also think about scented candles / air fresheners that hold the likes of pine, cinnamon, spiced orange – Once viewers enter your home the smell will also attract them to your property.
  • Christmas music: We might be over doing it here and sounding a bit desperate, but a touch of music or the perfect Christmas movie on the television will add another tiny percentage to the feel good factor of your home.

 

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove asks government to carefully consider property tax changes

The UK’s largest property platform Rightmove is asking the government to carefully consider the impact of any changes to property taxation to avoid unintended consequences which would risk stalling parts of the market. Key data National property tax Just under a third (30%) of homes for sale in England are priced at over £500,000, and…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Get Fast and Reliable Basement Flood Cleaning Services

Having water in your basement is awful. It could be because of a storm, busted pipe, or bad sump pump. Whatever the reason, water damage in your basement has disastrous effects if not dealt with. Basement Flood Cleaning Services are what you need. They will dry it out, disinfect the floor, and have your basement…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 21/08/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Providing comprehensive, predictive operational intelligence across all aspects of building operations  JLL (NYSE: JLL) this week introduced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities that are now available as an add-on to Prism, its award-winning building operations platform. As part of JLL’s property management technology ecosystem powered by…
Read More
Breaking News

UK House Price Index summary: June 2025

The average monthly rate of house price growth in June was 1.4%. The average annual rate of house price growth in June was 3.7%, up from 2.7% in May. As a result, the average UK house price remains at £269,000.   CEO of Yopa, Verona Frankish, commented: “June’s figures reflect a market that is steadily…
Read More
Breaking News

Private rent and house prices, UK: August 2025

Average UK monthly private rents increased by 5.9%, to £1,343, in the 12 months to July 2025 (provisional estimate); this annual growth rate is down from 6.7% in the 12 months to June 2025. Average rents increased to £1,398 (6.0%) in England, £807 (7.9%) in Wales, and £999 (3.6%) in Scotland, in the 12 months…
Read More
Breaking News

Industry response to latest inflation figures

Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark, comments: “Unfortunately, any increase seen within the rate of inflation does brings very justified concerns to consumers, many of whom are still struggling with the cost of living, which has been steadily rising over the past few years. “Although there is more work to be done to help ensure inflation…
Read More