Topic: Showing

How to Prepare for an Open House

If you’re putting your home up for sale, you want the buyers to see it for what it's worth. Keeping in mind that first impressions are lasting - and you want to make a good one - there are some simple things you can do to make your home appealing to anyone who comes to your open house.

Unless you are selling the house on your own, plan to be gone the day of the open house so that your prospects can speak frankly and candidly with the agent without the fear of offending anyone. But if you are at the property, be polite to your visitors and avoid lengthy conversations. Most importantly, don’t set a negative tone by apologizing for something prospective buyers might not even notice or care about.

Here are a few inexpensive suggestions to spruce up your home before you list it:

Home Exterior

• Invest in a colorful new welcome mat for your front door.
  
• Keep up with your lawn-mowing and maintenance; make sure that your landscaping is up to par, and put away your gardening tools and lawn equipment.
  
• Remove all clutter (bicycles, scooters and toys) from the front of your home.
  
• Put an impressive potted plant by the front door and give that door a fresh coat of paint as well.
  
• Make sure that your windows are clean, and install a new front doorknob and lock. This will create an atmosphere of security that you want to cultivate.
  
• Your street numerals should be polished and in place, or you may want to invest in a new set that is more eye-catching than those of your neighbors.

Inside Your Home

• Give special attention to key areas in your home, especially the kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms.
  
• Rearrange the furniture to give your rooms a spacious look. If at all possible, move about fifty percent of the furniture out of the house.
• Have the carpets cleaned before the first prospective buyer arrives, and vacuum the floor every day after that. Make sure hardwood areas are swept and mopped.
  
• Straighten out all storage areas. Potential buyers are curious and always look inside.
  
• Have someone look after your pets, and turn off the radio and television.
  
• Remove anything that gives your home a cluttered look. Your bathroom and kitchen counter tops should be as clear as possible, all toys should be stored away, and any excess photos and knickknacks should be removed.
  
• Supply the bathrooms with fresh, clean towels, and check to see that all faucets are “dripless.” Add an extra roll of toiletpaper for your guest’s needs.
  
• If your walls have any rough spots, touch up the paint. Ideally, you will have some left over from your last paint job. Sometimes it’s easier to repaint altogether so consider that on very dirty walls.
  
• Replace all burned-out bulbs in your vanity and light fixtures, and open blinds and curtains to let the light in. Don’t skimp out on electricity and make sure the light is on in dark areas of the house.
  
• Clean all your appliances thoroughly, giving special attention to the inside of your microwave and oven.
  Decorate your dining room table with an attractive centerpiece, and add similar touches elsewhere without overdoing it.
  
• Clean your fireplace and turn on any decorative track lighting you may have. (In season, you might want to have a fire going as well.)
  
• To eliminate odors — especially if you have pets or there is a smoker in the family — use air freshener and place potpourri in the bathrooms.