Photo: Michael Partenio, House Beautiful

The goblins are coming! The goblins are coming! Well, little ones are, as well as superheroes and princesses, for Halloween… Yes, it’s the ghostly time of year. A question we are sometimes asked is whether it’s OK to decorate for the season when your house is for sale.

The best thing to remember is that curb appeal is key. You want your home to look attractive for prospective buyers. If you live in a family neighbourhood those prospects likely won’t mind a few decorations. It may even give the buyers ideas for next year. And if your home lacks curb appeal decorating may help to dress up the exterior, attracting prospective buyers to take a look. However, there are a few rules to follow.

Stay away from gory. Blood spatter, skeletons, tombstones or dead bodies are not appropriate décor! The objective of curb appeal is to welcome people into your home, not scare them away!

Keep the decorating light. Don’t overload your lawn, front steps or doorway with spiders, bats, webs, and pumpkins. A few ornaments around the entry are appropriate.

Keep the pumpkins fresh. If you carve the pumpkin and it starts to decay, throw it out. The same applies if there is a freeze or if the neighbourhood squirrel takes a fancy to your selection. Throw them out and start again. At $0.29/lb. at my local store, they are inexpensive to replace.

When Halloween is done, put the stuff away. Finally, when the calendar turns to November put the decorations back in storage or if you are downsizing, now is the time to pack them up and offer them to a family member or friend.

If you are looking for ideas you are welcome to take a look at my Pinterest folder of homes decorated for the season.  Happy Halloween!