8 Tips for Holding a Flawless Open House
Make a good first impression, you want to freshen up the landscaping and exterior paint, plus consider purchasing a few new items, including a garage door, mailbox, exterior door, and house numbers. Clean the driveway and walkways, and get the cars out of the driveway and from in front of the house.
#1 – An Open House Isn’t an Open House Without the Proper Furniture
Cannon Christian, president of the Southern California-based Renovation Realty, says his company adds furniture and accessories to vacant homes. If you’re living in the house, consider some small touches such as fresh towels in the bathroom, vases of flowers and a few well-chosen accessories. With furniture, less is often more. Wild-colored walls should be painted and, depending on your budget, you may want to paint kitchen cabinets, add new hardware or change faucets.
#2 – Remove Unnecessary Clutter
#3 – Take Out All Personal Items
“Homebuyers want to walk into the house and visualize it as their new home,” Mitchell says. When a potential buyer sees your family photos and your children’s crayon drawings on the refrigerator during your open house, that becomes more difficult.
#4 – Pets Are Not Allowed
#5 – Get The Word Out
“You don’t want home buyers to leave your home empty-handed,” he says. “This is not going to be the only house they’re going to tour that day. It’s hard to remember all the different homes that they walked through.”
#6 – Have Pastries and Desserts
#7 – Let Potential Home Buyers Do Their Thing
#8 – Listen to What People Have to Say
One valuable takeaway from an open house is being able to hear what people think about the price and features. If six neighbors think the home is overpriced, it probably is. “If you don’t get opinions and people’s thoughts, you’re wasting a lot of audiences,” Christian says. Collect names and contact information from everyone who visits and contacts them afterward to see what they thought of the house.