Selling your home will prove much easier if you prepare well ahead of the scheduled open house. Otherwise, prospective buyers will be greeted by a cluttered, messy home that does not look nearly as good as it should. Preparing your home for an open house is not a Herculean effort. Invest a little bit of time in this project with the assistance of a savvy realtor and you will be able to present your home at its best. Let’s take a quick look at how to get your living space ready for an open house.
The Home Must be Ready to Sell
Preparing for an open house is all about putting yourself in the position of an interested buyer. Home-seekers do not want to find broken, dirty or otherwise-flawed doors, roofs, floors, etc. If anything is visibly dirty or malfunctioning, repair it prior to scheduling the open house. Once everything is replaced, repaired and cleaned, it is time to stage the property with the assistance of a realtor.
Staging the Home With a Realtor
Lean on a realtor for assistance staging your home and you will have the expert insight necessary to maximize the beauty and appeal of your living space. Your realtor will help you perfect your home’s interior design for universal appeal. Realtors are also adept at picking up on subtleties that actually matter a great deal from the perspective of home-seekers.
Remove Personal Items
Buyers should be able to walk right into your home and feel as though they can move in that day. If your personal items are still present throughout the house, it will be difficult for visitors to envision the living space as their own. Remove as many of your personal items as possible. Things like your child’s artwork on the refrigerator and family photos should be boxed up and put in storage or dropped off at your new living space. Otherwise, interested parties will feel as though they are interfering with someone’s personal life as they walk through the home.
Maximize the Lighting
The proper lighting will illuminate your home’s best features. Clean all the windows, open the shades, dust the lampshades and let the light shine through. This additional light really will make your house look and feel that much more open. Furthermore, an abundance of lighting makes the interested parties feel more comfortable. The only downside to maximizing your home’s lighting is the potential for this additional illumination to spotlight dirt and dust. Clean the entirety of the home with a particular focus on areas where the light shines through and home-seekers will be inclined to put in a bid on your beautiful living space.
Enhance the Property’s Curb Appeal
The exterior of your home matters just as much as the interior. Add a fresh coat of paint to the front door. If your home’s exterior paint is faded or chipped, consider repainting it before scheduling the open house. Clean off the stairs with a power washer to eliminate all the grime, dirt and other gunk. Beautify the exterior of your home and interested parties who swing by will be inclined to step inside to check out the open house.