Tricks & Treats: Sell Your Home at Halloween

luxury historical home with mums and pumpkins decorating for fall

 

Halloween can be a great time to market your home creatively. Here are some of the best tricks I’ve discovered to use the holiday to your advantage when selling your home.

Decorate tastefully

There’s no reason you can’t get into the Halloween spirit. But this is not the time to drag out the coffin, hang the spider webs and cue the scary music. Opt for more family-friendly decorations with a fall theme instead of a spooky theme. Great choices include potted mums and pumpkins for the front porch and a wreath for the front door.

Plan a Halloween open house

If you really can’t live without your Halloween decorations, then use them to your advantage. Plan to hold a Halloween-themed open house the weekend before the holiday. Bust out your best (yet still tasteful) Halloween decorations and show how perfect your home can be for entertaining. Plan to have activities for kids like pumpkin painting and pass out Halloween treats. You might even set up a photo station outdoors that is strategically placed near your “for sale” sign, so it’s captured in the background of the picture. Make sure to get the word out on social media about your special event. You never know who will be attracted by your clever idea.

Use treats as marketing opportunities

Trick-or-treating can be one of the best times to market your home to the neighborhood. This is especially true if your street is popular with families on Halloween. Print up small cards with information about your home and attach them to the treats you hand out. Most parents will examine their kid’s candy before they let them eat it, so you can be sure they’ll see it.

Post flyers at the door

Another great trick to use during trick-or-treating is to post flyers at the door. You can draw some attention to it with lights, or mention it to parents as they bring their kids to the door. Invite them to take a flyer (or two), especially if they know anyone who may be looking for a house in the neighborhood.

Dress up like Dorothy

Finally, you can really get into the spirit of things on Halloween by dressing up like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz while you’re handing out candy to the neighborhood kids. Remind folks who come to the door that, “There’s no place like home,” and then hand them your flyer or a piece of candy with a card attached. It will certainly be memorable!

The bottom line is that Halloween doesn’t have to scare away buyers and hurt your home sale. By taking advantage of the holiday and the increased foot traffic around your house, you can use your creativity to cater to potential buyers.

Susan Matthews is a Realtor serving the greater Charleston area with Coldwell Banker Carolinas. Contact her for more info on selling your home.

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