Dos and Don’ts for an Open House

When you have an open house, details make the difference.

My advise is to leave the the marketing details to my team – flyers, signage, listings in the newspaper and online.

I encourage my clients to focus on the little details around their home that you never think about on a daily basis.  I often bring in an interior designer to make evaluations such as some of the items listed below:

Any place that you have lots of cords, you’ll want to bundle them up. Sure, you never look behind your desk or your entertainment center, but buyers might and, even though they’re not buying your furniture, seeing a cluttered mess of cords can give them negative feelings of chaos and disorganization when they remember your home.

Have a file drawer or portable file cabinet for recent papers.  Give everyone in the family their own file folder so that all stray papers can be stored temporarily out of sight.  This way you don’t lose or accidentally throw away any important documents during the confusion of selling your home, but they aren’t out cluttering your home and distracting buyers either.

The bathroom is a haven for extra stuff with all the creams and sprays and cotton balls, etc., etc.  Obviously, you need to use these on a daily basis, but you can’t have them all sitting out and you can’t just toss them in a cabinet.  Try buying a little plastic tub that can hold everything and will slip easily under the sink.

The same rule goes for your closet.  A few closet organizers go a long way.  Potential buyers will be looking inside everything in your home so there is no place you can just toss all the extra stuff.  If you have extra stuff to store, just make sure you put it in tubs and cubbies and neat plastic boxes so it all looks clean and uncluttered.

In an open house, you are trying to make the most of all the space you have and create a calm and comfortable atmosphere where buyers can see themselves fitting right in.  Chaos and confusion are the polar opposite of that.  These are just a few of the tips that I offer my clients to help them sell their homes faster with a better value.  Call me today for a free evaluation of your home.

Thanks Robin Jones for the information.