9 Open House Preparations That Sellers Can’t Afford to Overlook
A great open house calls for more than tidying and sweeping. Overlooking small details could leave buyers with a poor impression of your home and lead to low offers. If you’re hosting an open house to help sell your home, you can’t afford to skip these nine tasks.
1. Cleaning the Windows
You might not give your windows much thought, but dirty, smudged glass distracts buyers and makes your home seem less clean. For sparkling clean, streak-free windows, follow cleaning tips from Cleanipedia.
2. Organizing Cabinets
Don’t try to hide messes by shoving them into cabinets, closets, and drawers. Serious buyers will poke around in storage spaces. Make sure they’re left with the impression of ample storage by minimizing and organizing the contents of your cupboards. This is also the perfect opportunity to clean the interior of storage areas.
3. Hiding Signs of Pets
Some buyers are dissuaded by pets in a home. Hide signs of pets by boarding your dog on the day of the open house and putting food dishes, dog beds, toys, and other pet items in a bin that you can store in your vehicle. You’ll also need to complete a deep clean to eliminate pet odors—you might not notice them, but buyers will.
4. Replacing Light Bulbs
Bright and even lighting helps your home look its best, but if bulbs are burnt out, your buyers may be left squinting. Walk through your home and make sure all the bulbs are working and that bulbs in multi-bulb fixtures match.
5. Dusting Ceiling Fans
If you think prospective buyers won’t look up, think again. When they do, you don’t want them noticing trails of dust hanging off your ceiling fans. Pull out the ladder and give ceiling fan blades a dusting before opening up your house.
6. Fixing Loose Handles
A loose doorknob, drawer pull, or faucet handle will leave buyers wondering what other parts of your home are in disrepair. Thankfully, these repair jobs are easy to DIY, even if you don’t have any experience.
7. Airing Out the House
When your house is closed up, it doesn’t take much for odors to develop. Before the open house begins, open windows for a few minutes to get stale smells out and fresh air in. Sellers should also follow Realtor.com’s advice and not cook anything stinky the day before an open house. This is the perfect time to try that new restaurant you’ve been eyeing!
8. Cleaning the Front Walk
Your front walkway is one of the first things buyers see upon approaching your home. Help it make a good impression by weeding around the walkway, replacing broken pavers, repairing crumbling mortar, and pressure-washing to remove dirt and grime.
9. Removing Family Photos
Buyers should imagine their own family living in the house, not yours. Depersonalize your décor by removing family photos, fridge hangings, and kids’ trophies. Use generic artwork to bring some color and life back into the space.
As you check these items off your list, make sure you’re practicing basic DIY safety. Don’t climb on ladders without someone to spot you, understand safe usage of power tools, wear appropriate clothing and safety gear, and never try to do electrical or plumbing work on your own. While it’s great to save money by doing things yourself, a few dollars is never worth your health and safety. If you’re uncomfortable with a task or lack the knowledge to do it safely, hire a professional instead.
Sellers have a big influence on the outcome of an open house. If you don’t take care of details like these, it doesn’t matter how well your real estate agent markets the event—if buyers aren’t impressed with what they see, you won’t hear from them again. For the best results, make sure your house is clean, organized, and fully functional before the first visitors arrive.
Post contributed by : Eugene Williams – http://diydad.info/
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Debe Maxwell | The Maxwell House Group |RE/MAX Executive | SavvyBroker@me.co | 9 Open House Preparations That Sellers Can’t Afford to Overlook
