Downsides: Traffic, Peer Pressure
“Many residents say they glory in the excitement and attention. Some moved here to get in on the tradition. But life in a winter wonderland brings more than glad tidings for the neighbors, who must deal with high public expectations, traffic jams, a parking shortage, litter and nosy visitors.”
–“It Can Be Hard to Sell a House on the One of the Merriest Blocks in the Country”; WSJ (12/5/2014)
Is it possible for a homeowner — or a whole block, in the case of a certain Baltimore neighborhood — to so overdo Christmas decorations that home values suffer?
That’s the interesting question posed by the WSJ article cited above.
The article doesn’t really offer an answer, beyond noting that a certain self-selection seems to apply to the block in question — that is, while some prospective home Buyers avoid the block, others seek it out.
Sort of like corner lots . . .
Other Considerations: Local Ordinances, Utility Bills
In almost 13 years selling Twin Cities real estate, I’ve never dealt with a possible discount for over-the-top Christmas decorations (or even heard it come up, for that matter).
Which makes me think it’s a non-issue.
My (further) guess is that local ordinances — and electric bills(!) — would intervene before it became an issue for home Buyers and Sellers (and their agents).
