5 Tips to Prepare for Your Open House

Okay, so you've decided to list your home for sale and you have a few days before the Open House. As a listing agent, I view Open Houses as great opportunities to showcase your home to as many potential buyers as possible in a short amount of time. In hot markets, it is not uncommon to have 20+ groups of potential buyers walk through on a given day, depending on the house.

Below are 5 tips (besides the basic clean and declutter) to make your home shine and appeal to the most people possible during an Open House!

Landscape

This one seems like a no brainer, but it is the first thing people will see when they pull up to see the house. A little landscaping goes a long way to make solid first impressions. I am not talking about planting news trees or installing new stone walkways, etc. I just suggest the simpler tasks like mowing the lawn, edging gardens beds and walkways, refresh the mulch or raking up leaves in the fall (especially in Massachusetts and New Hampshire).

Wash The Floors

I have gone into many Open Houses with my buying clients and the floors are dirty, sticky, stained and just generally unkempt. This is off-putting to buyers, but on the flip side, a clean floor that shines is very pleasing. I honestly believe it can add value to a home and will often hear compliments on a specific home that has gleaming hardwood floors or clean grout lines between tile flooring.

Lighting - The Brighter, The Better

I am sure this sounds a bit odd but lighting in an Open House can make or break a space. If a space is brightly lit then it will trick the eye (or brain) into thinking the space is larger than a dimly lit space. Be sure to let as much natural sunlight in the home during the Open House. Remove any room darkening shades and open the blinds. I also strongly suggest getting a "daylight" lightbulb or brighter in the rooms that don't have a lot of natural lighting. The soft yellow lightbulbs are out of date and can make rooms look dull.

Bonus Tip: Try to get all the lightbulbs in the home uniform (use the same bulbs in every fixture throughout the home is possible).

Depersonalize

Remove most, if not all, personalized items around the home such as family photos or personalized memorabilia. This makes it easier for the potential buyer to envision themselves living in the home. Also make sure to not leave any bills, mail, or anything with your name on it lying around.

Second Bonus Tip: Do not leave any money or expensive jewelry out in the open.

Dust and Clean Major Home Systems

This is a big one! Dust and cleaning your boiler, oil tank, propane tanks, water heater, dehumidifiers, etc. can go a long way to making the home appealing to a potential buyer. Major home systems are big ticket items and replacing them can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. If the buyer sees a dirty, grimy system they may be scared away from putting an offer on the home or they might reduce their offer taking into account they may have to replace the system. Hopefully all the major systems in your home are running just fine, if they are, then just spruce them up with a little elbow grease to make them look shiny and newer!

I hope these quick tips help make the Open House portion of your home sale easier! To make the entire process easier, be sure to call RHR Real Estate to guide you through and help sell your home and get the best possible outcome!