The Perfect Open House
When you list your home for sale, it’s essential to prepare for a successful open house. As many former buyers can attest, open houses are major influences in their decisions. Here are a few ways to prepare for a successful open house.
First on the list is to advertise to attract home buyers. A recent post from 904 living talks about the importance of having advertisements for your open house:
Advertise
If you want to pull people into your open house, you need to advertise. A lot. A good advertisement requires professionally shot photographs and well-written content that will attract potential renters, so bring in extra help if you are not especially strong in either of those areas. The advertisement needs to be colorfully written, with tons of descriptions that will enable people to imagine their life in the home. The photos and the content need to go together, so make sure the photos accurately showcase the life that the content is selling.
When it comes to where you should advertise the house, don’t bother paying to advertise it in newspapers, as it is a total waste of your money. While people do still read the paper, they certainly do not read it to look for apartments and homes. Instead, concentrate on the Internet. Via 904living.com
It goes without saying that an open house that no one knows about is doomed to fail. Luckily, your agent is able to handle the planning and execution of the event: in fact, with Seller Direct, your open house is advertised both online and offline even when you choose to hold one without a REALTOR®.
Next is to ensure that your house is open and clutter-free. Decluttering and depersonalizing your house is key:
Your home should be open and clutter-free
If your house has recently gone on the market and you plan to host an open house, there are a few things you should do to ensure your home is show-ready.
Your home should be immaculate. You may have up to 20 potential buyers touring your house at any given time, so it is important for it to feel open and clutter-free. h/t fairfaxtimes.com
A home buyer likes to picture themselves living in their new home. There are different ways to accomplish this, such as getting rid of extra furniture (to an extent) and removing family photos.
Lastly, a thorough cleaning of your home to remove deep-rooted smells. A recent post from Zillow explains the benefits of a clean smelling house:
Deep clean for a fresh look and smell
Now that you’ve cleared out the excess and organized what’s left, it’s time to make it sparkle. There’s no better way to show buyers you’ve taken good care of your home than for it to be spotless!
Hire a cleaning service: If you’re too busy with the many other tasks that come with getting your house ready to sell, consider hiring a cleaning service (and maybe a professional organizer!) to come in and do a one-time deep clean of the home, from baseboards to backsplashes and closets to cobwebs. read more at zillow.com
Some homebuyers are easily disappointed by strong smells. What’s more, even though you may not actually smell any scents, you may just be “nose-blind”: so accustomed to your home that you don’t notice. If possible, you can hire a cleaning service to ensure the experience is pleasant.