How to Get Your Home Ready for an Open House

Selling your home can be an emotional and stressful time. After years spent making memories in your home, preparing it for sale can be a challenge. The goal is to make a quick sale at the right price so that you can move forward with confidence and without regrets.

One strategy to bring interest to your home that your real estate agent may recommend is to host an open house event. This allows potential buyers to get an inside look at everything your home has to offer. Buyers will have the chance to inspect your home and ask any questions they may have. The good news is that as an owner, you don’t even have to be present for an open house to be a success.

Preparing your home for an open house will take a bit of work. Your real estate agent will have some useful tips on selling your house and getting it ready to show to the public. Let’s look at a few ways to prepare your home for an open house event.

Get Your Home Ready

Potential buyers will not be as interested in putting in an offer on your home if there are repairs to be made and essential systems to be updated. Your real estate agent can help you go through your home and decide what projects need to be completed before you have your open house. Small repairs should be at the top of your list. Updating old home systems is also important. Potential buyers will be going through every detail of your home and will not be happy about finding needed repairs or outdated appliances. 

You can hire a home inspector to come in and have a look to help you identify what needs to be done before you list your home. Buyers aren’t going to be as interested in a home that they have to spend money on to bring it up to date.

Declutter

Getting ready to move to a new home is a great time to purge. Decluttering can help you minimize your packing burden along with getting your home ready for an open house. Potential buyers don’t want to see a lot of clutter when they tour a home. Clean and simple is the best way to present your home during an open house.

Take some time to go through each of your rooms and get rid of all unneeded or unwanted items. Don’t forget to go through your closets, basement, and garage. This is a great opportunity to make donations to your local charities with items that can benefit families in need.

Get Organized

Buyers that visit your home for an open house will be doing a thorough inspection. They will peek inside your closets to check out the space, open drawers, and even take a look inside your medicine cabinet. Once you are finished decluttering your space, it’s important to get the rest of your things organized. A neat and orderly home will be more attractive to buyers.

Clear Out Personal Items

Potential buyers want to be able to picture themselves living in your home when they do an open house tour. Having too many personal items or family pictures around the house will not be as welcoming and could cause buyers to feel like they are intruding on an established family home. You can leave decor items in place, but photographs, albums, and any other personalized items should be packed up for your move.

Deep Cleaning

When you organize an open house you are preparing your home to be on display. Before you open your doors, it’s essential that you do a deep cleaning of your entire home. To get the job done on a professional level, you could bring in a cleaning company. You will need to clean all floors and carpeting, wash walls and windows, shampoo your upholstery, and wipe down all surfaces.

Focus On Curb Appeal

Making a good first impression could dramatically increase the interest in your home. Buyers claim that much of their decision to put an offer on a house is determined by their first impression of the outside of the home. Boosting your curb appeal could be a valuable investment. Take the time to touch up your exterior paint, weed all of your gardens and complete any landscape projects, and put extra attention on creating a welcoming entrance. 

Many buyers tour through neighborhoods in the evening, so it’s to your advantage to light up the outside of your home. Strategically placed spotlights that are on a timer can give your home a stunning look in the evening and make it visible to buyers from the street. 

Turn On the Lights

A bright and cheery home that is well lit will give the impression of a bigger space. When you are staging your home for your open house, make sure that you have enough light. Open the blinds, turn on the lamps and make sure that each area of your home is well lit. Dull and dingy spaces may be a turn-off for buyers.

Security Measures

While you want to open your home up to buyers, you are also allowing strangers to come into your home. It’s important to take security measures that will keep your agent and your belongings safe. You should set up a sign-in sheet at the door and request identification from all of your guests. This will not only provide information about each visitor if something goes wrong, but it will provide your realtor with leads to follow up. 

People attending your open house will have access to every area of your home. Clear out your prescription medications and any valuables that you don’t want to put at risk before your open house begins.

Get Out

Buyers are often uncomfortable viewing a home when the owners are present. They may not feel free to ask questions or view the home with a critical eye when the owners are there. As an owner, it can be equally difficult to see strangers going through your home. Your realtor will take the reins during your open house, so it’s a good idea for you to make yourself scarce during the event. 

Drawing in potential buyers for your home can be a challenge. If you are planning a home showing, follow some of these tips to make your open house a success.