Opinion

Guide to a Successful Open House

Selling your home can be a stressful process but with a bit of preparation and the right guidance, it could easily fly off the market. You’ve already made the necessary small upgrades that will make your house stand out as one to buy, such as providing a new coat of paint inside the house in neutral colors. Now what? One component in this process is knowing how to throw a successful open house, and it’s not just about baking cookies. There are many behind-the-scenes factors that help these go swimmingly that the potential buyers may or may not actually notice, but they help nonetheless. Need some inspiration? Read on for some great ideas when it comes to throwing a successful open house event.

Image source: http://www.inmyinterior.com/modern-kitchen-design/

Stage Your House to the Max

A well staged home sells homes—plain and simple. People want to be able to imagine themselves in your home so you want to declutter as much as possible and take down most if not all of your family photos. Make sure your interior is immaculate, but you don’t want to clean and declutter to the point that your house looks cold and uncomfortable either. Style each room with things like fresh flowers and such, but do it in a minimalist fashion. Simple accents like throws, accent rugs, and pillows will do the trick. And don’t forget to stage your closets! If you’re extra proud of how great they look and how well they are organized, think to leave these open. Big closets void of clutter are a huge selling point. One last tip for the inside: Beware of bad smells! Many real estate agents bake cookies to give to the prospective buyers—not only so they can eat them but it’s also so the house smells inviting. Make sure you’ve steam cleaned or replaced any carpets that were holding pet odors. A lot of people even tout the benefits of using essential oils, as they are less likely to cause the adverse reactions or allergies that some synthetic home fragrances cause.

Also, make sure to stage the outside of your house, too. As the masterminds behind We Buy Houses Denver note, you want to boost curb appeal by making sure your landscaping is pristine and that your porch is welcoming. They always hire window-washers for the homes they’re selling, as nothing is less appealing than being greeted by filthy windows. Stage any outside patio furniture you have around a fire pit (if you have one) or other focal point, and a hammock or porch swing are always inviting touches, too.

Advertise Away

Staging your home to perfect does nothing if you or your real estate agent doesn’t advertise. Make sure to put a rider on your “For Sale” sign a week before the event. Of course, signs on the day of are an absolute necessity. But online advertising goes a long way these days, as many prospective buys have downloaded apps from places like Realtor.com. So many people are tech-savvy, so you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity.

Neutralize Your Home

We already talked about picking neutral paint colors so that prospective buyers can envision themselves in your home but it goes beyond this. You don’t want your home to scream something personal about you, so that giant framed photo of Ronald Reagan you’ve got hanging above the fireplace? Yep, it’s gotta go. You can hang it at your new home once you sell. Any drawings by your kiddos and dog or kid toys should also be removed. You want your home to be one giant blank slate.

Go Away!

Unless you’re selling your home on your own, you want to be out of the house. You want the prospects to feel free to “snoop”, as they want to see every inch of a place that might become theirs. They’re less likely to be okay with doing that if they feel like you’re looking over their shoulders. You can greet the first few prospective buyers if you’d like just so they can put a face (or faces) with the property, but leave once the introduction is made.

Selling your home is no easy feat but a successful open house can get you that much closer. Pass along these tips to your realtor and you’ll surely get results.