Quick poll

Down.....

We had photographs taken with a lovely tree which disguised the shoddy state of the bay window it was in! Unfortunately, we couldn't leave it up indefinitely.

EllaKeat your approach sounds perfect, if a house lends itself to having a tree up I would be suspicious of all Christmas decs being removed. I normally leave mine up until Twelfth Night & unless a house/flat was very small I would expect to view a property in "Christmas" finery. I hate minimalist but we're all different.

Good luck with your viewings

Definately DOWN, these days there are stylists who come and minimse things before viewing takes place and this does sell houses. Just do a bit of styling yourself, fresh flowers, a bowl of assorted fruit, maybe a lit candle the smell is always pleasant.Good Luck on Friday

Definitely down.

Good luck with everything,hope it all goes smoothly for you.

GinJeannie;the photos were done without decorations?

I was asking about viewings only.
We will leave the tree up in the orangery and the wreath o the mantel in the living room, bit remove everything else. A halfway approach?
The house is ' viewing ready' so not too much to do, apart from some mossy spots that need blasting outside.

Fingers crossed, and many thanks everyone!

We have large rooms, so no cluttered look, and the living room looks lovely with the fireplace wreath.

Wil let you know how it goes?

Imagine if the house is not sold within, say 5-6 months, and the estate agent’s photographs still show Christmas tree and decs, potential buyers will wonder why it’s been on the market for 5-6 months I think.

Up until 6th Jan definitely!

As minimal as possible...makes rooms look bigger.

Down

I’d take them down - always seems a lot bigger when they are down

I think "down" but it does depend a little on the size of your rooms and the quality of your decorations. Also, it depends on how many other ornaments you possess.

At all costs, don't let the place look cluttered.

I hope your house sells quickly.

Up for me.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Down. And be out at least for the first viewing. You want people to imagine the place as their own not as yours.

Whilst you need to be flexible as possible I think at this time of year you also need to think about light! A viewing at the wrong time of day in winter might falsely make your property seem dark and dingy.

Tell your agent that your first choice is between X and Y time (when the light is good) but you will do other times on request (you dont want to rule out people who can only view after work, but if there is a late viewing leave the lights on before hand so its not initially dark when they walk in)

Pull the curtains RIGHT back so they are beyond the windows, not just open IYKWIM. Use ties or clips if you have to.

Definitely down and tidied away. As others have said, remove framed pictures, knick naks etc. If you have a pet remove half eaten food etc. I have sold four houses quickly for the price I was happy with by decluttering, getting rid of lots of coats on hooks by front door etc (temporarily house in garage if need be). Too much 'stuff' doesn't look homely it just makes your house look too small. I even bought 2 or 3 new towels that were purely for dressing the bathroom & not for use! Removed the stash of assorted products in bathroom too, always made sure beds were made, try wiping a tiny amount of vanilla essence onto a table lamp bulb & switch on before viewers arrive. Keep kitchen surfaces decluttered & clean - you are selling an image. I even had an enamel stove top coffee pot which had a batch of real coffee in it just reheated prior to viewings, the agent told me so many commented on the homely feel to the house. I also polished my dining table with lavender polish. Because I'd already moved out of my last house prior to selling I paid for a small local cleaning firm to come in and give it a thorough clean, we'd already shampooed the carpets. I was surprised what a good job was done for less than I'd budgeted for, my aching back was grateful too & it really took the pressure off and it paid dividends in the long run. We returned to mow grass/water plants until we exchanged.

Down, minimalist look sells

Tree down-less clutter, more space. My sister’s tree always looks so perfectly decorated I might leave that up

Another vote for decorations and tree to come down and for preparing the home appropriately (no clutter, etc) for "viewing".

Depends on the house - mine is an old cottage and 'lends itself' to Christmas - beams and inglenook etc look lovely decorated .... but if your decs are a bit tired then take them down and dress with spring flowers as suggested above - good luck!

Down along with any decorations and of course personal stuff. Good Luck.

Ours came down yesterday couldn't stand it up any longer, and we're not selling

Why not leave them up. If people are viewing during the Christmas period then they should expect to see evidence of decorations, etc.
When we sold our last home the viewing was at an inconvenient moment and he house didn’t look it’s best. However, the viewers said ‘at last we are seeing a real home, not a show house’ and put in an offer immediately.

If you usually leave the tree up until after Twelfth Night then leave it up. It is your home and you are presumably living in it until it is sold.

Just make sure the house is clean and tidy. If it is the right house for the buyers they will buy, whether there is a Christmas tree in the sitting-room or not. Just don't expect a quick sale - most houses don't move fast these days.