If anyone says you can’t sell your house at Christmas… they are mistaken. It’s true that December is slightly slower than the busy summer months, with fewer active buyers due to a widespread family and party focus, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. With less homes coming onto the market this can also mean less competition and buyers at Christmas are likely to be serious ones, so you could well secure a great sale while everyone else waits for the New Year.

So how do you make sure your doors are fully open to the Christmas-time buyer without being completely bah-humbug and ignoring the festive season altogether?

During December itself, the decorations will only serve to distract buyers from the room you’re trying to show them, and that’s not great. Christmas trees and decorations ‘date’ your photos, so if you are still on the market in the New Year, people will know immediately how long your house has been for sale. Particularly bad is leaving those decorated photos on your listing into spring – it sends a very negative message that no-one wants your house.

So if you are just about to put your house on the market or you’re planning to during the next month, I recommend you leave the decorations in their boxes until after your house has been photographed.

When the time does come for putting the tree up and decking the halls, here is your opportunity to make a conscious decision. Do you want to prioritise your house sale or Christmas this year?

If it’s your house sale, then decorating with a subtle hand is the best option. Tasteful and stylish decorations can enhance the warm, homely feel of your living areas, as long as they don’t take over the whole show.

But if you do want to shower your house with a Christmas cannon and give the festive season all you’ve got, then you should make this decision with the knowledge that buyers may be overwhelmed by your decorations and may not be able to fully appreciate the space they’re trying to view. It’s completely fine to do this, just be aware that you could be putting your house sale on the back burner until January.