You’ve decided to sell your home, now it’s time to figure out how you’re going to manage the selling process and getting your home ready for open houses. No one like the selling process, you have to invite strangers into your home and you could wind up waiting weeks or even months as your real estate agent markets your property and waits for the perfect buyer.
Whether you’re selling the property yourself or you’re using a realtor, you will need to get your property ready for an open house. To help you on your quest for the perfect home sale, here are six steps for a better open house.
1. Advertise heavily
A sign out the front of your house isn’t going to send interested buyers to your door in droves, instead, you should ensure you have engaged a wide array of advertising methods to get your home on the radar for interested buyers. Focus on a cross-channel marketing approach to advertising and use classified ads, internet real estate listings, flyer drops and social media ads to get in front of potential buyers and your target market.
2. De-clutter and clean
Potential buyers aim to see your home with their belongings in it – so if you’ve got your home packed to the brim with oversized furniture and clutter your buyers are going to struggle to imagine their belongings in your home. Focus on de-cluttering and removing any unwanted items, so your home looks spacious and welcoming. Remove any items that are cluttering up the areas of your home including hallways, cupboards, benches, and tables and store them in the garage or remove them from the home altogether. You can even consider moving out your furniture and adding in modern staging furniture to really add that extra wow for potential buyers.
3. Take your pets with you
Open homes are not a place for pets, so if you have a pet it’s best to remove them from the property so your open house is pet-free and visitors can roam throughout the home without the growls or hisses from your family dog or cat. Pets aren’t everyone’s cup of tea and can turn people off a property, so remove your pets and do a vacuum before you leave to ensure there are no dog or pet hairs left over that could upset those who might be allergic to pets.
4. Serve refreshments
Have you ever entered someones home when they have been baking cookie, you don’t have to be a genius to know that refreshments are going to please your open house guests each and every time. You don’t have to cook a feast, just put out some cookies or some cakes plus water and your guests will leave refreshed and happy each and every open home. Leaving out refreshments shows you care about your home and your guests and interested parties may even stay a little longer and chat further about your home.
5. Let the realtor do his or her job
If you have engaged the services of a realtor, sit back and let them work their magic. While you might be an expert and your profession, real estate agents know their stuff and understand the steps to create the perfect open home so let them work their magic. You can often be a distraction so trust your realtor and understand they have your best interests at heart (after all they will be a tidy commission should they sell your house for you!).
