WHAT ARE SOME THINGS I CAN DO TO PREPARE FOR MY FIRST OPEN HOUSE?

So you’ve decided to put your home on the market, and let others enjoy it as you have. One of the first things any real estate agent will suggest is to have an open house. Many realtors do not like open houses, as they consider them a waste of time and effort. Therefore, be sure that the agent you choose to sell your house is open to the idea of hosting an open house.

The thought of having strangers walking through your home and yard can sometimes be a daunting task, but our tips below are designed to help set your mind at ease and make the task less daunting. By following the few tips we have to offer you, you can be ready for the offers to start rolling in!

1) Organize Your Belongings

Potential buyers want to be able to see themselves and their belongings in your home, so the organization should be your first step to make an everlasting impression to house seekers. A good idea is to move one piece of furniture from every room and put it in storage. This will help open up the space that buyers will be viewing.

Keep in mind that less is more for first impressions, which is what your open house will give potential buyers. You want to make as good of an impression as you possibly can in order to get those offers rolling in.

2) Get Rid of the Clutter

Dirty dishes, unfolded laundry, stacks of magazines, or unopened mail all qualify as clutter in a potential buyer’s eyes. Take care to put anything that is left out on the counters or anywhere else in your house away until after the open house. Buyers have no interest in your personal belongings, and if they are put away or in storage, they are out of sight, out of mind. This is especially true for items that are not being sold with the home such as sentimental items, dishwashers, tables, antiques, or any item that a buyer might think comes with the home. The best thing you can do is to store whichever items fall into this category, then bring them out after the opening if you want to. Again, out of sight, out of mind.

3) Clear Out Personal Items

Personal items such as family photos in frames should also be stored away until after the open house. This includes toys, games, pet items, all photos, and photo albums. Homebuyers are trying to picture themselves in the home, and have no need to see your family photos over the mantel or on the walls or your child’s artwork on the refrigerator.  In other words, depersonalize your home before the opening occurs.

4) Cupboards and Closets Need Organizing

Having enough storage space is one of the number one things that buyer’s look for when searching for their new home. Be sure that your cabinets and closets are not packed full, this will give the illusion that there isn’t enough storage space. A good idea is to remove at least half of the items in your cabinets and closets to give the illusion of more storage space.

5) Hire a Professional to Stage Your Home

 If possible, try to keep enough in your budget to hire a professional home stager to help bring out the best attributes of your home. This tip has two options, you could hire an all-out professional stager to stage your home, or have a stager simply walkthrough and offer you advice on how to stage your home to be more appealing to potential buyers.

Should you choose to do the staging yourself, here are a few ideas you could use:

• Add new lighting, natural is best, but not always feasible.
• Create unique furniture arrangements.
• If possible, tone down any bright colors with warm and neutral colors.
• Do some minor updates such as painting, caulking, new grout, or even change old wallpaper out for something newer and more modern.
• Consider changing out old door locks for new ones, or any old hardware for that matter with something fresh and new.
• Spruce up the outside of your house with flowers, freshly painted items, trim bushes, trim trees, mow the grass, and store any tools that are left in the yard. The exterior of your home is the first thing buyers will see, and it needs to make a grand impression on them. Power wash everything you can outside, including furniture.
• Set your dining room table, and add some mirrors on the walls to give the illusion of a more spacious area.
• Fluff up pillows, shams, comforters, and towels. You might also consider adding throw pillows on furniture or adding some attractive furniture covers.

6) Give Your Home an Aromatic Makeover

Depending on the time of your open house, you may want to consider baking something in the oven, or you could even put a few drops of vanilla oil on a cookie sheet and warm it up for a few minutes for its aroma can be smelled throughout the house. On top of that, why not add some fresh flower arrangements to each room, this too will help bring an aromatic feel to your home.

You could try putting a bowl of potpourri in places such as the bathroom and kitchen also. Any of these ideas will add fragrance to your home for the open house. Be sure not to go all-out crazy with the scents, it may turn off potential buyers, but in moderation, it can have a positive affect.

7) Clean Up

Before your open house happens, be sure you clean up any and everything in the home. This includes shampooing the carpet, shampooing the upholstery, mopping the floors, dusting shelves and corners, using clean linens, dusting the window covers,  cleaning countertops, cleaning the fridge, cleaning the oven, and even buffing the floors, especially if you have hardwood floors.

You’re welcome to do a deep cleaning on baseboards, grout, and other household items, but at least get your everyday chores done before the showing.

8) Advertise Your Open House

Once you’ve completed the previous tips on this list, it’s time to do some advertising for your open house. You want to generate as much foot traffic as possible, so tell everyone about your open house. Put it on your social media channels, makeup signs, create flyers if you want to, do everything in your power to get the word out that you are having an open house.

You could have your agent add it to your listing, as well. This way when anyone sees your listing, they will know they have a chance to view the home up close and personally. You may want to even add some balloons to the signs you make to place in your yard so that people driving by will notice your sign.

A few more things to consider on the day of the open house can include:

• Offering beverages to potential buyers.
• Having some snacks at the ready to offer buyers.
• Open all curtains, shades, or blinds to let in natural light and brighten up the home.
• Keep all toilet seats closed.
• Move any vehicles from the driveway or garage.
• Remove any sign of pets if you have any. Ask a relative or friends if they can pet sit for you the day of the open house.
• Put away your valuables and any medications.
• Make up flyers for your home with all the pertinent details. Many buyers frequent several open houses when they are out looking around.
• Take a road trip, anywhere. You do not want to be there when your agent is having an open house on your home. It’s best for buyers if the owner isn’t present at the time of the showing.

You can’t go wrong if you follow this list of tips for preparing for your first open house. Once you get the first one under your belt, you’ll be more comfortable should there be other open houses in your future. However, hopefully, you will not have to face another open house, because your house sold after the first one. Good luck!