If you are in the process of selling your home, your realtor may want to have an open house event at your home so it can be viewed by many potential buyers at the same time.
At the time of your open house, your home should look its best. Here are some suggestions on how to prepare your home for an open house.
photo courtesy of Kool Cats Photography flickr.com/photos/katsrcool/14946773074/Repair
If you have any repairs that need to be done to your home, either major or minor, do them before the open house.
People want to purchase homes that have been well maintained and are move in ready.
Repairs left undone will greatly reduce your selling price or make potential buyers concerned that the house was not properly maintained.
Declutter
Clutter makes a home feel smaller and creates an unsettling feeling.
Remove all clutter from the house - including in your garage, basement, and attic.
You can rent a storage unit and put your unnecessary items in there or you can stash them in your car during the open house or any other real estate viewing.
Don't box them up and put them in the garage because it will seem like your house does not have enough storage.
Remove any extra furniture and unused items on your countertop.
Clean out your closets and cabinets.
Remove family photos to make the house feel like it could belong to any family.
Take a photo of the rooms in your home and look at the photos on a cell phone. If an item in the photo is so small that you can't figure out what it is in the photo, consider getting rid of it.
Clean
Clean your home like you have never cleaned before - both inside and out.
Don't forget to clean behind things, on top of things, and underneath things.
Start cleaning the inside of your home at the top and go down.
Dust the ceiling fans and crown molding.
Clean any marks off the walls.
Clean out your refrigerator, oven, and microwave.
Shampoo your carpets.
Everything should be completely spotless.
Pressure wash the outside of your home, including the sidewalks and driveway.
Weed all flower beds.
Wash all windows.
Consider hiring a cleaning service to deep clean areas that you may have missed before the open house.
Odors
Do not add an overwhelming fragrance to your home else a potential buyer might get a headache from the scent or think you are trying to hide something.
You can add a plug in odor eliminating air freshener to potentially smelly rooms, such as bathrooms, but make sure that the scent is not overwhelming.
Use an air purifier #ad to get rid of odors and dust, especially if you have pets since potential buyers may be allergic.
Turn on your air conditioner's fan to constantly circulate air throughout the house so the air does not seem stale.
Pets
Make sure to remove all pets from your home since pets can annoy or scare potential buyers and some people might be allergic.
Potential buyers might also assume that your pets have created a mess on the carpet and reduce their asking price by the cost of replacing the carpet.
Also make sure that all pet mess is picked up off the grass outside.
Consider removing all pet beds, crates, toys, and any other evidence that you have a pet to eliminate the concern of pets causing damage to your home.
Make it Memorable
Many homes in newer subdivisions are nearly identical, so why should someone buy your house instead of the one down the street?
Is yours cheaper? Is it on a larger lot? Is it more upgraded? Do you have more trees? Did you add an outdoor kitchen?
If a potential client views 10 houses in a weekend, what distinguishing feature will they use when they talk about your house?
Is yours the one with the awesome view, the beautiful chandelier, the remodeled kitchen, the red front door, garage shelving, the colorful flowers on the front porch, the upgraded door knobs, a custom closet solution, the wood floors, the large oak tree, or the hot tub?
Know what your competition has to offer and make sure your home is more memorable than the others.
Homes have a tendency to give visitors a certain feeling when they walk inside, so make sure your home feels happy, cozy, and welcoming.
Curb Appeal
Try to get potential buyers excited about your house before they walk through the front door.
Add a little something extra to your home's exterior to make it special.
You can plant some colorful flowers, upgrade the exterior light fixtures, add a potted plant, or get an upgraded door bell button.
Valuables
Put away all valuables before the open house.
Most people are not going to take anything from your home, but you shouldn't make anything accessible to them.
You don't want to tempt a child to pick up a small electronic device or some money on your night stand.
