Where to Put Your Christmas Tree?..
As the property market continues to keep us all busy, Ben Watkins, Partner at Parrys poses some very important questions about timing…
When is it acceptable to start putting up your Christmas decorations at home and where should you put your tree? For me personally, it’s a well-fought battle to at least get into early December before I admit defeat and venture into the loft to retrieve them, or risk being labelled the Grinch by my wife and children. With the year we have experienced, you could be forgiven for considering taking them out sooner.
Because of Covid-19, Christmas trees have been popping up in people’s front windows as early as mid-October. And who can blame us for seeking festive delight earlier this year? Decorating your home for Christmas gives most of us a great deal of joy and reminds us of early childhood memories and the enthusiastic excitement we had around the holidays.
Where to put the tree in ones own house however, is the age old question that, as an estate agent, you can imagine I have given an awful lot of thought to! Around this time of year, it’s the question most of our vendors discuss with me as we go to their houses for valuations, or to show around prospective buyers.
It would seem that with every family I visit, choosing where to put the tree is often part of a heated family debate and can involve lots of huffing and puffing as furniture is rearranged and the tree carefully balanced or tied in the right place whilst someone desperately tries to untangle last year’s string of lights. In order to help you not have to go through this stress of where to put your tree, we have devised some tips for the perfect positioning in your home.
Five Practical Tips for Christmas Tree Positioning:
- Natural Light – Having a tree in front facing window spreads the Christmas cheer to everyone passing your home. We all love seeing the twinkling lights brightening up the dark winter evenings. However, try and pick a place where it does not block too much, or your main source of, natural light. Even in winter the days sun warms the room so blocking it out will increase your energy bills as not only will heat be prevented from entering you will also be turning on more lights to compensate.
- Visibility – Choose an area where you can view the tree from numerous angles and vantage points. As you come down the stairs in the morning you can happily catch a glimpse or as you walk from room to room. The more visible it is, the more you will enjoy it, and therefore look after it.
- Walkways – Take note of the natural walkways in your home as you pass from room to room. Place the tree away from these natural paths as it will simply cause annoyance as you continually brush into it chasing baubles across the floor and hoovering up the thousands of falling needles.
- Furniture – It is rare that you have the perfect spot for the tree that would not call for a re-jig of your furniture. If you have a large floor standing tree you will need to clear space and reorientate seating areas so that they are not blocked. If you have a smaller tree you will need to ensure it has a suitable table to stand on and it is unlikely that the perfect table is already sat there waiting. When considering the space and the required organisation do not forget that it needs to continue to work for you and the social gatherings you may be having over the festive season. You will regret it if the room is dominated by the tree and is no longer fit for purpose.
- Hazards – Ensure that you choose a place where your tree is away from hazards such as heating elements. This could be a radiator, a gas or open fire, or forced air. Be careful also to not overload your plug sockets with extension leads in order to meet your fairy light fix! Also beware of putting the tree in a room where your pets tend to sleep or spend a great deal of time unsupervised… you may well find a cat amidst an explosion of tinsel.
The Importance of Timing
Much like Christmas tree positioning, timing is everything at this time of year. We all want to beat the Christmas rush before all the popular gadgets are sold out, the turkeys are gone, and get home missing the Christmas traffic. This is no different for house sales – you need to make sure that your timing is spot on to make sure you get the best possible deal.
How does this fit into an article about Christmas trees? Well, the countdown for the Land Transaction Tax and Stamp Duty Tax continues, and we have seen this as a great incentive for buyers which has really helped increase demand for property in our area. We are currently in a fantastic period to consider selling for another reason. We know ‘getting things done before Christmas’ is also a brilliant motivator for an active buyer to get their offer agreed (subject to contract) on their next home purchase so they can relax and enjoy the Christmas period.
With our professional photography service, we can get photographs and ‘walk through’ videos completed promptly, before the Christmas decorations potentially going up. It’s a great opportunity to dress your home to its full potential and for us to present it to potential buyers.
We are still in a plausible place for new sales agreed to be able to complete by March 2021 with standard conveyancing timeframes. If you have been thinking about putting your property on the market but thought it would be best to leave it until after Christmas, please invite us to visit now. We might surprise you with how quickly we could find you a motivated buyer who will still see the benefit of the Land Transaction Tax and Stamp Duty Tax holiday.
This Christmas will be different, and we might not all agree on when you should be putting the decorations up but if you are thinking of selling, getting the sale agreed before Christmas will certainly allow you to relax and enjoy the festive period that little bit more.
If you would like to discuss how Parrys can help you please do get in touch
via telephone, email or social media.