When your home goes on the market, your real estate agent may want to hold it open to get buyers through the door. If you are willing, this can be an effective marketing strategy for you to sell your home, but you need to get your home ready first. Open houses are much like showings, but they have a few unique aspects.
Here are 5 tips to prepare your home for an open house:
Remove Clutter
Any real estate agent will encourage you to remove clutter before you ever list your home. Buyers want to see a move in ready home and not have to think about decluttering or having to clean. Any stacks of papers, toys or shoes should be moved out of the house. Remember, buyers will be looking inside closets and cabinets as well, so don’t just stuff clutter out of eyesight!
Here are 5 tips to prepare your home for an open house:
Remove Clutter
Any real estate agent will encourage you to remove clutter before you ever list your home. Buyers want to see a move in ready home and not have to think about decluttering or having to clean. Any stacks of papers, toys or shoes should be moved out of the house. Remember, buyers will be looking inside closets and cabinets as well, so don’t just stuff clutter out of eyesight!
Provide Refreshments
Not all agents will suggest providing refreshments to the guest coming to look at your home, but generally, it’s a good idea. Having cookies out is a way to get potential buyers to stop and interact with your agent and thus learn more about your house.
Make it Look Big
Rearrange or remove a piece of furniture to completely change the look of your rooms. Create groupings in spaces to define traffic patterns and make a room feel larger. Play around with different layouts and find what works best, even if it isn’t the most livable for now.
Protect Your Belongings
Valuables, prescription drugs and anything you care about should be locked up or put away in a place buyers won’t be looking. Your agent will be present during the open house but can only be in one place at once, so it’s better to lock things up rather than be sorry later.
Leave the House
As with showings, it’s important for you to be out of the house during an open house. Your agent will be there to share important information about the home and it’s better that it comes from a more objective party. It’s hard to hear people critique the home you’ve loved, so do yourself a favor and take yourself out of it.
An open house gets lots of people through the door, and if you’re prepared, can be a great way to get your home sold.
Not all agents will suggest providing refreshments to the guest coming to look at your home, but generally, it’s a good idea. Having cookies out is a way to get potential buyers to stop and interact with your agent and thus learn more about your house.
Make it Look Big
Rearrange or remove a piece of furniture to completely change the look of your rooms. Create groupings in spaces to define traffic patterns and make a room feel larger. Play around with different layouts and find what works best, even if it isn’t the most livable for now.
Protect Your Belongings
Valuables, prescription drugs and anything you care about should be locked up or put away in a place buyers won’t be looking. Your agent will be present during the open house but can only be in one place at once, so it’s better to lock things up rather than be sorry later.
Leave the House
As with showings, it’s important for you to be out of the house during an open house. Your agent will be there to share important information about the home and it’s better that it comes from a more objective party. It’s hard to hear people critique the home you’ve loved, so do yourself a favor and take yourself out of it.
An open house gets lots of people through the door, and if you’re prepared, can be a great way to get your home sold.