Is it ok to have a Christmas tree in my property photos?

If your property has been on the market over Christmas and your tree pops up on some of the photos, don’t worry.  Property photos are inevitably going to be seasonal, whether it’s a beautiful array of garden flowers in the summer, or log fires and tinsel in the winter. 

You may have been told that if your property photos are not in keeping with the current season, you are, “disclosing when the property went on the market” and in doing that, showing potential viewers out there how long it has been for sale.

Read on to find out our tips on the rules of photography and seasons…

Christmas property marketing

We believe there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a tasteful Christmas tree in your property photos, in fact, some properties are shown at their best at this time of year.  Here are some tips for Christmas decorations in photos: -

• When it comes to choosing the right tree for your home, consider the size of the room.  If you choose a tree that takes over half of your living room, it’s only going to make the space seem tiny…so the moral of the story is to pick a tree that is ‘in keeping’ with the space you have.

• A real Christmas tree can be great, but make sure you vacuum up any loose needles before any viewings and if the tree starts to lose too many needles, replace it with another real tree or an imitation version.  A bald tree is a no no!

• Try to decorate the tree tastefully and don’t get too carried away with tinsel and baubles or it will only look cluttered and messy.  It’s probably best to stick to a colour scheme too.

• A beautiful holly wreath can look fabulous on a front door and looks cosy and welcoming for viewings.

• Exterior lights can look extremely cosy and ‘magical’ in your front garden but try not to go overboard; flashing Santas and rocking reindeers may be a step too far!  Decorating a bush or tree in the front garden with white fairy lights can look really effective all year, not just at Christmas.

When is it time to replace Christmas property photos?

If your property is still on the market in Spring, it’s probably worth taking a few more photos to add to the brochure, particularly if there are some beautiful daffodils and snowdrops in the gardens. 

It doesn’t, however, mean you need to get rid of all your Christmas photos.  There’s nothing wrong with keeping some of the best ones and labelling them “cosy Christmas.”  I don’t know about you, but we love seeing how a property can look at all times of the year.  Period properties, in particular, can look simply amazing at Christmas time, so why not use your best Christmas shots as bait to give potential viewers even more reason to book a viewing.  Roaring log fires, candles, presents under the tree...it all builds a picture of a lifestyle and makes it far easier for clients to connect with your property.

Incidentally, if your home is on the market at Christmas, it’s also perfectly acceptable to include the odd Summer pictures to show off the gardens, flowers, trees, exterior areas, conservatories and so on.

Before a Christmas / winter viewing…

Light the fires, turn off any overhead lights and switch on the lower level cosy lamps and down-lights.  Light candles too, to add extra ambiance, and warm up some mulled wine or use a scented candle to create that Christmas feeling.

Honesty is always the best policy…especially at Christmas!

Just to expand on what we mentioned earlier about how some agents believe that seasonal photos can give away how long a property has been on the market, we believe honesty is always the best policy.

If a property has been on the market for 6 months, or even a year, it doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with it…it can simply mean that the right person has not come along yet.  We will always be honest about how long a home has been for sale, so a Christmas photo is not going to change anything.  In short…we have nothing to hide.

We hope this has answered your question.  At the end of the day, we tailor our marketing to suit our clients and will always guide and advise (we always have opinion and are usually happy to share :)

If your property was on the market over Christmas and you’d like a fresh view on how best to market in early 2019 then please give us a call on 0118 466 0292 or e-mail hello@quartersresidential.co.uk – we’d be pleased to help.  We'd also be pleased to welcome you to our private offices in central Wokingham.

Happy New Year from all at Quarters Residential