Open House Do's & Don'ts for Sellers

The real estate market is starting to heat up again and with plenty of healthy competition expected among buyers, you may be considering having an open house for your home that is on the market. Here are a few dos and don'ts in terms of allowing your real estate agent to conduct an open house on your for sale property:

Advertise Online:

Ask your real estate agent how they plan on marketing your open house. There are a lot of great websites, community pages, and apps that people are using to find open houses in our area. Your agent should be tech-savvy and should be able to tell you exactly how they plan on advertising your open house.

Capture traffic by those driving by:

Make sure your home is well-marked with a sign advertising your open house in advance. Your real estate agent may have a "rider" to add to your "For Sale" sign. Your real estate agent should also be letting your neighbors know and inviting them to the open house. Your neighbors are some of the greatest salespeople for your home. They will want to have their friends and family live closer to them.

Declutter & Clean:

You will want to clean your house from top to bottom. Since you are moving, go ahead and declutter and throw away trash, broken items, or donate items that are no longer needed. Make sure everything has a spot. Buyers will look everywhere so organize your closets, cabinets, and drawers. Make sure you make your beds, have dirty laundry put away in a basket, and keep your home as clean as possible. Buyers are going to want to envision themselves in this home, not envision you in the home.

Make a Great First Impression:

Make a great first impression by completing these simple tasks:

• Provide fresh flowers for the kitchen island or kitchen table

• Allow for natural light by opening up blinds and curtains. Don't have great natural light? Light up those lamps to create warmth within the home.

• Regulate the temperature by having it at a comfortable temperature. You will not be able to please everyone, but you will want the temperature in your home to be comfortable, not too hot, and not too cold.

Now that we have some do's, let's go over the don'ts:

Don't Stay for the Open House:

Allow your real estate agent to run the open house without being present. Buyers want a chance to explore the home and envision themselves there. They would like to ability to speak candidly about what they love and what they do not like in your home and sometimes that can be hard on sellers.

Waste Money on Unnecessary Advertising:

Your agent knows the best ways to advertise your open house and that is usually online! Many individuals get their information on open houses either by driving by the home for sale or seeing it online. Allow your agent to promote the open house using these methods rather than printing open house notices in magazines, newspapers, or other printed media.

Leave Your Pets At Home:

When you leave for the open house, take your pets! Pets can distract home buyers and they should not be present.

Ignore the Outside:

Curb appeal is a real thing! Do not ignore your outdoor living space. Make sure your grass is cut, the bushes are trimmed, and that your yard looks healthy. You will want to catch the home buyer's eye with great curb appeal and then wow them with the inside of your home.

Wait Until the Last Minute:

Do not wait until the last minute to get your home ready for the open house. Think of it as a first date. You want to impress and you wouldn't wait until the last minute to get ready. You would take your time and make sure everything was right. Do this and your open house is sure to be a success!

Need a checklist to help you get ready for an open house? Contact me today and I will get you my free Open House Checklist.