Preparing Your Home for an Open House or Showing
Are you hoping to purchase a new home, but still have a home to sell? Here are some useful tips on how to best prepare your home for a showing or a Realtor open house:
- Bright and light infused homes look better! Like we always say, more natural light makes a home look and feel better. Open all your blinds, pull back the curtains, and let the light shine in.
- De-”personalize” your home’s decor. You want your buyers to be able to picture themselves in your home. Even though it feels strange, removing personal photos, decorative items, and anything that makes the home look cluttered is helpful.
- Replace personal decor with “marketing” for your home and neighborhood. Use great photos of our home in various seasons, marketing materials from your home’s subdivision, or photos of the neighborhood pool or playground to replace personal items around the home.
- Clean, clean, clean. We all have different “ick” points when it comes to a clean home. Whether it’s a dirty shower, a dingy carpet, or a spider web in the garage corner, clean the home thoroughly before you show it.
- Plan to be out of the house. During a showing or open house, make plans to be elsewhere! Remember the last time you saw a home with the owner watching your every move? Your presence may make visitors feel uncomfortable or go faster to avoid inconveniencing you.
- Bring Fido with you – and his toys! Bring your pets and their accessories along when you leave! While you may love your furry friend, widespread evidence of a dog or cat may make your prospective buyers thing about fur, allergens, or “accidental” stains that may be hiding in the home.
- Make sure it smells great. Let’s face it – home owners often get used to any “special” odors their home may harbor. Ask an outside source to take a sniff, spray some fabric refresher, open a few windows, or use a home fragrance – just don’t leave cookies in the oven and forget them, “Clueless” style!
- Enhance your home’s curb appeal. Making cosmetic upgrades to the exterior of your home is a great way to ensure that your home gives a fantastic first impression. A well-manicured (and toy free!) lawn, pots of fresh flowers, well-trimmed trees and bushes and freshly painted shutters can make a big impact.
- Lock up your valuables. This one is more on the “personal safety” front – make sure your valuable items like jewelry and expensive knickknacks are either with you or securely locked away.
- Fix obvious issues with the home. Cracks in the wall, paint scuffs, a door that sticks, nail pops and the like are easy to fix – and remind buyers that the home has been well-maintained.
Looking to purchase a new home? Check out our tips on setting priorities when looking for a home – or contact our Online Concierge for more assistance!
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Having a pre-listing home inspection performed is also a great idea for someone thinking about putting their home on the market. A seller’s home inspection lets you know the true condition of your home before buyer’s show up. Having this knowledge before a buyer makes an offer puts the seller in more control of the sale. Stats show that a seller paying for a repair is often nearly half of what a potential buyer asks in credit for the same repair. So, a pre-listing (seller’s) home inspection can easily save the seller $$$.