How to Market a Listing During Major Holidays

Holidays slow the market, but they do not stop it. Buyers who are searching on Christmas Eve or scrolling Zillow on Thanksgiving morning are serious. They are not casually browsing. They have a reason to move, and they are spending their rare free time researching. If your listing goes quiet during that window, you are handing those buyers to competitors who stayed active.

Most agents pull back during holidays. They delay posts, skip email follow-ups, and let listings sit without fresh content for two or three weeks. That gap is your advantage. A well-maintained, strategically marketed listing during a holiday stretch will receive more relative attention than the same listing would during a busy spring week when buyers have 40 other options competing for their attention.

Set Your Schedule Before the Holiday Arrives

The biggest mistake agents make is waiting until December 23rd to figure out their holiday marketing plan. By then, your photographer is unavailable, your copywriter is traveling, and you are writing captions on your phone in a airport terminal. Plan your content calendar at least two weeks before any major holiday.

Block out every day of the holiday stretch on your calendar and decide in advance what goes live when. For a listing that will be active over Thanksgiving week, that means writing your social posts, email copy, and any updated property descriptions the week before. Schedule everything through your tools so it publishes automatically even if you are at dinner with your family.

If your listing needs fresh photos or video for the holiday season, book that shoot no later than 10 days before the holiday. A home photographed with fall foliage or tasteful holiday lighting can actually convert better than a listing with flat summer photography. Seasonal photos make a listing feel current and cared for, which is a legitimate selling point.

Adjust Your Copy for the Season Without Being Gimmicky

There is a version of holiday listing copy that backfires immediately. Phrases like "the perfect holiday gift" or "ring in the new year in your dream home" feel like filler, and buyers recognize it instantly. You want your copy to acknowledge the season in a way that is grounded in real buyer motivation, not ad-copy cheerfulness.

What actually works is speaking directly to the psychology of a holiday buyer. Someone searching during Christmas week is often under pressure. They may have received a job offer, are coming off a lease, or made a decision over the holiday gathering that it was time to move. Your copy should reflect that. Lead with the practical details that matter most: price, location, move-in readiness, and what makes this specific property a low-friction decision.

If the home has attributes that are especially relevant in colder months, now is the time to lead with them. A gas fireplace, a heated garage, a finished basement, south-facing windows that bring in winter light. These details earn more attention in December than they would in July. Rewrite or refresh your MLS description to front-load those details if you have not already. Montaic makes it fast to generate a seasonally updated description from the same property data without starting from scratch.

Keep Social Media Active Without Posting Daily

You do not need to post every day to stay relevant over a holiday stretch. What you need is consistency and intentionality. A schedule of three to four posts per week during a holiday period is enough to keep your listing in front of buyers who are actively scrolling.

Rotate your content types so you are not just reposting the same front-elevation photo. On Monday, post a detail shot with a caption about the kitchen or primary bath. Mid-week, share a quick video walkthrough clip or a reel. Toward the weekend, post something neighborhood-specific: a photo of the street, a mention of a nearby coffee shop, or a winter view from the backyard. This rotation makes the listing feel active and alive, not abandoned.

Stories and short-form video hold up especially well during holidays because people are spending more time on their phones. A 30-second walkthrough clip posted to Instagram or Facebook Stories on Christmas morning will reach people who are sitting on a couch after gifts, phone in hand, casually browsing. Do not underestimate that audience. They are relaxed, they have time, and they are making decisions.

Handle Showings and Communication With a Clear System

Buyers who want to see a property during the holidays will often assume agents are unavailable and move on without asking. Counter that assumption directly. Your MLS remarks, your social posts, and your email copy should all include an explicit signal that showings are available and you are reachable.

Set up a specific holiday availability message in your auto-reply and on your showing service. Something like "Showings available Dec 26 through Jan 2, book online or text directly" is practical and removes friction. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for a motivated buyer to take action without having to wonder if someone will respond.

If you are traveling and genuinely unavailable for a stretch, arrange a licensed colleague to handle showings and cover your communication. An unanswered inquiry over a holiday weekend can cost you a serious buyer. Brief your cover agent on the property thoroughly so they can answer questions and hold a showing with confidence. Your seller deserves that level of coverage regardless of the time of year.

Use Email to Stay in Front of Warm Leads

If you have a list of buyers who toured the property or expressed interest before the holiday, a brief check-in email during the holiday stretch can reopen conversations that went cold. Keep it short and direct. Remind them the home is still available, mention any relevant updates, and give them an easy way to schedule a showing or ask questions.

The subject line matters more than most agents realize. Skip generic lines like "Checking In" or "Happy Holidays." Instead, use something specific to the property: "3BR on Maple still available, showings open through Jan 5" will get opened because it is immediately clear what it is about and what the reader should do. Specificity converts better than warmth in email subject lines.

For a listing that has been sitting for more than 30 days, the holiday stretch is also a reasonable time to send an update to your broader database. Frame it as a market check-in rather than a pure pitch. Share a brief observation about holiday market conditions in your area, reference the listing as an example of what is available, and invite anyone who knows a buyer to share the link. That kind of email reads as professional and informative rather than desperate, and it can generate referrals you would not have gotten otherwise.