December 2012 Real Estate Review

9 Steps for Showcasing a Listing During the Holidays

Whether it’s wreaths or menorahs, your sellers shouldn’t overdo it around the holidays. Here’s how to stage a listing properly during “the most wonderful time of the year.”

December 2012 | By Barbara Ballinger

REALTOR MAGAZINE

Gone are the days when houses were best listed come spring when flowers bloomed or in late summer before the beginning of the school calendar. Now, any time of year is good for selling if the property is priced correctly, clean, and in good condition.

But with Thanksgiving past and Christmas, Hanukkah, and the New Year fast approaching, many sellers wonder if December bodes well, given how busy people’s lives get and because so many home owners like to decorate their houses. Holiday decorations can distract buyers and make it hard to focus on a home’s important architectural features when, for instance, rows of stockings camouflage a beautiful period fireplace mantel or a toy train set takes up the entire living room floor.

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Fannie and Freddie halt foreclosures for the holidays

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Homeowners facing foreclosure just received an early Christmas present: They won't be evicted from their homes over the holidays.

By Les Christie @CNNMoneyDecember 3, 2012: 2:13 PM ET

Mortgage giants, Freddie Mac (FMCC, Fortune 500) and Fannie Mae (FNMA, Fortune 500), announced Monday that they will suspend all bank repossessions beginning December 17 and December 19, respectively, and will not resume the evictions until January 2, 2013.

Read more here...Fannie and Freddie halt foreclosures for the holidays - Dec. 3, 2012