An open house is one of the most important times to find your buyer and to sell your house to them – in more ways than one. It allows an opportunity for you to get the right people into the home, to show off all of its great features, and to give that potential buyer an idea of what it will be like to live here.
Without this type of interaction, people would be unable to visualize themselves on the property, and that could mean losing the sale.
Here’s how to make the absolute best of your home ready for your open house viewing….
As a property owner, it is a good idea to walk through the home on your own, looking for areas that you can easily, and affordably, make changes and updates to. You need to make sure your home is attractive to a potential buyer.
Cleaning and Painting
* First, be sure to look for ways to de-personalize your home. If your pictures and special family mementos are everywhere, that may make it harder for others to see themselves living in the property.
* Clean up or repair anything that is broken, out of place or disorganized. You want the home to be de-cluttered as much as possible for the open house. Remember, though, people will open up cabinets and drawers (usually when you’re not looking) so this really needs to be a thorough cleaning out of the home. Don’t hide that three-day-old slice of pizza stuck to the plate in your linen closet, or you’ll scare people off!
* Paint and touch up areas where you can do light maintenance to create an appealing space. For example, it is a good idea to paint the home in neutral colors. If you have a bright pink bedroom or deep burgundy accent walls, repaint them a neutral tone before the open house.
First Impressions Are Vital
On the day of the open house, look around the property to find other areas that you can tackle that could offer a selling feature or benefit to the home. When you drive up to the home, what’s the first impression? Have a friend or family member who does not live there do the same thing. What does he or she see that could be a deterrent for a person moving in?
In addition to this, as the person showing the home, you also want to ensure you are on time, have flyers detailing the property on hand to give out, and that you are able to talk about the selling features of the home at length. Things like the age of the roof, the last time the furnace was maintained, or the pest control reports are all things people expect to learn when they come to the home for an open house.
By properly preparing for an open house, you invite others in who can truly be interested in the gem you have to offer. No matter if you are the owner or you are the real estate agent, this is one opportunity you want to put extra time into the preparation process for, as it will be one of the biggest factors in helping you to sell the home faster and often times at a higher price than you could otherwise.
Invest the time it takes in preparing a property for this interactive opportunity for potential buyers to fall in love.
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