If you have decided to sell your home, putting on an open house is a good idea. It will allow possible buyers to take a look at the interiors and room distributions of the property. This task is actually pretty simple, although it might require some compromises from the seller. Ask your real estate agent to advise you on what to do when having an open house. To get ready in advance, we bring to you a general guide filled with tips you can follow.
1. First impressions matter. Think of what small refreshments you can do to your house, consider purchasing a few new items; if needed, paint some of the exterior landscaping, clean all entrances, make sure your home smells lovely and everything looks good as new. Lastly, remember to remove the cars out of the driveway and from the front of the house.
2. Make everything look spotless. Investing a small amount of money in hiring professional cleaners will pay out big time. Cleaning carpet stains and having the windows washed will make a huge difference.
3. Staging your home. This means placing furniture and accessories in the common areas, including fresh towels in the bathrooms and flowers can help the living spaces look nice. In addition, if you have the budget for it, paint the kitchen's cabinets or add new hardware.
4. Make room to walk smoothly. Remember there is expected a large number of visitors into your home, so make sure all unnecessary furniture pieces are out of the picture. Hallways and rooms should have plenty of walkable space so possible home buyers can get an idea of what the home actually looks like.
5. Remove personal items. All personal items should be stored elsewhere. Homebuyers are not interested in seeing family photos; they want to picture the house as their new home.
6. No pets. We love animals but while having an open house they should not be heard or seen. The reason is that it may cause disruption.
7. Spread the word. Make sure your open house is listed in MLS and other real estate portals. Sending flyers and putting on signs in order for neighbors to assist to the open house is also a great idea.
8. Make sure your place is well lighted. Before starting with the open house open up curtains and turn on lights in every room even on a sunny day.
9. Protect your belongings. Take out or lock up your valuables. It is not your real estate agent's responsibility to look after your most valuable possessions.
10. Are your appliances working properly? Before the open house starts detail to your real estate agent what appliances/equipment in your house is not working at its finest, and if they are too expensive to replace then make sure the homebuyers are aware of the situation.
11. Be ready to provide information. Have brochures or flyers ready with photos and details of the house. Include community and nearby school information. You don't want any possible homebuyer to leave empty-handed.
12. Bake some goodies. Refreshments might not be as important as the value of the house, however, it is a nice touch and will bring attention to your open house as it will create a chance for homebuyers to stop and chat with the real estate agent.
13. Be aware of what is happening at all times. The real estate agent might be in charge of the open house but this concerns you as well. Keep updated on what is happening inside your home.
14. Welcome feedback. One advantage of having an open house is that you get to receive feedback. Knowing what people think about the price and other features of the house is valuable information, this can help to sell the house in a quicker time period, the reason is that it works like a survey, if six or more people think that the price is too high, well then it probably is.
Remember
The use of internet and real estate apps have been changing the business since you can find pretty much everything online, you can search for open houses near your location as well as their selling price. So making sure the open house dates are available on these platforms is a must.
Discuss any doubts with your real estate agent, he/she can guide and advise you for more tips since every house is unique and every family is different.