Tips for an Open House

Getting ready to have your open house and want to give it the best chance possible to look great to all of those potential buyers (and occasional curious neighbor) that will walk through?  Here are some quick and easy things that you can do to help you and your agent out!

• Clean it up - Whether you are doing it yourself or hiring someone from our Home Services department; cleaning up is the number one recommendation.  Removing clutter, taking out trash, dusting...anything you can think of to make your home look cleaner, more presentable, and showing pride in ownership.
• Let there be light - Natural light is a great asset to a home.  Opening blinds and curtains allows for the light to flow in showing the true size of the room and giving a great "welcome home" feeling.
• Check your curb appeal - It is the first thing that everyone will see and we all have heard the saying that you only have one chance to make a first impression...so why not make it a great impression?  Sweeping the porch, deck, and walkways.  Cleaning debris in the yard.  Every little bit can help!
• Find something to do - You may find that your agent will recommend that you not be around when you are having in open house.  While there are many reasons for this that can vary from agent to agent; one is to make the potential buyer feel more comfortable looking around.  Also, if you have pets either make sure they are properly secured or are with you at the time.  Just because you may love animals doesn't mean everyone else does!

Staging your home

Staging your home can give you a great advantage when you are trying to sell. It gives you the opportunity to show prospective buyers why your home...is the ideal one!

The first thing anyone, whether it be family, friends, your agent, or a potential buyer will notice is your layout. Does it have a flow that makes transitioning from one room to another a breeze? A great idea to start with is to emphasize the flow. Remove extra furniture and clutter. If you can go throughout your home with out "zig zagging" around things then you are in pretty good shape. This will also make it seem like a more open space, giving your home a larger and less cramped feel.

Use your home's special features to your advantage! If you have a large deck or patio, give the buyer the vision of how great it is to have one! Gorgeous kitchen counter-tops? Remove any extra items that may block them and make it seem like there is less counter space than there really is. What about a jetted tub? Draw more attention by adding just a couple candles.

Altogether, staging shows off your home's highlights and makes it seem livable. It can also give your potential buyer plenty of helpful suggestions as they envision what their life would be like inside your home.

For more assistance please check out the Home Staging section of our Home Services department and check us out on Facebook and Twitter!