When you’re selling your home, one of the most essential steps in the process involves preparing for your open house. An open house not only gives potential homebuyers a chance to check out your home, but it also allows individuals and families to picture themselves living in the space.
It’s important for home sellers to understand that they can take specific steps to help homebuyers fall in love with a home. Take a look at the following techniques that can help you have a successful open house.
Select the Right Time
Even if you have the most desirable home on the block, you probably won’t draw in many interested buyers if you hold an open house in the middle of a weekday or on a holiday. Instead, aim for weekend afternoons, when most people tend to have more free time. This increases the chance that interested homebuyers will put your open house on their schedules as well as the chances of pulling in traffic from passersby.
Leave a Great First Impression! Spruce Up Your Curb Appeal
The front entry of your home is pretty much the first thing that home buyers will see. Give your home its best shot at catching the buyer's attention, and enhance your curb appeal,Bill a Realtor® at ZipRealty gives sellers these tips: "Mow the lawn, weed any gardens/flower beds and please remove any dead or unhealthy plants.”
Remove the Clutter and Clean, Clean, Clean!
When a house is filled with knick-knacks and toys, the clutter distracts buyers from the attractive details of the home. Even if the clutter is neatly organized, your rooms will still appear messy. An open house is the perfect time to start packing away or throwing away as much of your stuff as possible. Consider moving your clutter into an attic or basement space or, even better, to an off-site storage unit.
What's more, when making your home presentable for an open house, pay special attention to the kitchen and bathroom, as these are the most frequently used spaces within the home. According to Mari, a San Francisco Realtor®, you should make sure the bathroom and kitchen tile grouts are clean. Kitchen counters need to be de-cluttered and only have gadgets or small appliances that you use every day on the counter, unless it’s part of your “home stager's props”. Keep all kitchen knives in butcher blocks hidden in cabinets and not easily accessible. Keep your answering machine at the lowest volume setting - you don't want the public to hear private messages left by your callers.
Patricia another one of ZipRealty's veteran San Francisco Realtor®s, reinforces Mari's advice and tells her sellers, "The kitchen and bathroom should shine. Do a quick once-over with the vacuum; carpets should be clean. Place fresh flowers in the main rooms. Put dishes away. Make all beds and put all clothes away. Open the drapes and turn on lights for a brighter feel. Straighten closets. Put toys away. Enhance the spaciousness of each room.”
Sheila a ZipRealty Realtor® in Sacramento, goes even further than just telling sellers to de-clutter their homes. Sheila says, "I like to suggest cleaning carpets and even doing some touch-up painting if time permits. Dirty floors and walls will not show the home in the most positive light and may read in the mind of the potential buyer that the home is in need of additional, hidden repairs. When buyers feel that the home needs work, they tend to want to recoup their repair costs by offering a lower price for the home.”
Don’t Make it Personal
Houses are often filled with personal expressions of the people who live there. These expressions may include family photos, vacation mementos, quirky décor, a child's artwork or even a brightly painted wall. However, when you’re selling your home, it’s better to remove as many personal touches as possible.
Homebuyers like to visit open houses so they can picture themselves living in the home. The best way to facilitate this is by keeping décor neutral and taking your personal touches out of the equation. Remove all family portraits and, if possible, replace any bold design choices with selections that will appeal to larger portions of buyers.
Guy, a seasoned ZipRealty Realtor®, will tell you: "Begin to dissociate yourself, and decide to let go of your attachments to the home. From now on, this is a house you really want to sell, not your own beloved home. De-clutter your possessions by removing at least half of the items you have on display in your home, including photos, collectibles, personal awards and ornaments. This helps to de-personalize your home and allows buyers to picture themselves living in a neutral setting."
Pay Attention to the Smell
Home sellers often become so focused on the appearance of their homes that they forget about another very important aspect of the presentation: smell. There are very few things that can turn away potential homebuyers the way unpleasant smells can (e.g. pet odors, musty scents, etc.). Have a trusted friend or neighbor walk through your home to make sure it doesn’t contain any lingering odors you aren’t able to detect. Try to remove the scent and replace it with a fresh, universally appealing smell like lemon or pine.
Karin a Realtor® in Boston, advises her sellers to avoid preparing any strong odor foods the day before or the day of the open house. For example, fish and garlic leave a strong odor in the house and are slow to disappear.
Realtor® Dorothy suggests that home sellers make their homes smell nice by baking something in the oven like cookies or bread.
For those with pets, Realtor® Kat says, “I advise them to completely remove the pet from the home if possible as not everyone shares the same enthusiasm for them.” This tactic will help you maintain a pet-free smell on the day of your open house.
When planning your open house, don’t skip over these important steps. Keeping these details in mind can lead to a successful open house, which can make a significant difference in the selling price you ultimately secure.
Source: ZipRealty Blog at http://www.ziprealty.com/blog/how-sellers-can-prepare-open-house-tips-our-agents
