Before your Realtor holds your open house, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. Remember, buyers often times can't see past your "stuff" to see the beautiful bare bones of your home.
Example...if they open a linen closet and it is stuffed with towels and sheets with no possible way of adding even a hand towel, they will think "this home has as little space as we already have" and they will move on. However if you remove some of your towels allowing them to see the back of the cabinet and make the space tidy and organized the buyer will then think "wow there is so much space here".
Another place buyers want to see space is in the kitchen. If your counter space is being used by your toaster and coffee maker and other such appliances, the buyer will think "how can I cook in here, there is no counter space?" Even if your kitchen is small, just by putting away the small appliances and cleaning off the counters you now have a kitchen that feels larger and a space that someone else could see themselves cooking Thanksgiving dinner in. Also...don't forget to remove all those lovely pictures your sweet children have stuck to your fridge, as you want your potential buyer to see your lovely stainless steel fridge (or other) and not Billy's art collection.
Let's chat bathrooms...put all those glorious bath products in the cabinet (organized of course) leaving the shower looking spacious and clean. Stash the flat iron and other such necessities that you may normally leave on the counter and make sure you empty the trash can. Remember, the bathroom is typically the smallest space in your home so it needs to be tidy to catch your buyers eye.
Closets need to be cleaned out. Think of it like this, you are moving out of this house so why not get some packing done and if need be a trip to the Goodwill done now. A clean closet with space on the floor, shelves and hanging rack tells the buyer this house has plenty of storage space.
De-personalize...yes we all love our family photos and have them throughout our homes however when selling it is best to pack up the majority of frames and knick-knacks leaving room on shelves, tables and walls. By doing this, it allows the buyer to visualize their personal items in the home instead of analyzing your items.
When we were house hunting we went to view a home that had a cute little beagle...not. The beagle rushed at our daughter and our poor Realtor stepped in front of her and was bitten. Not good. We left without even looking at the house. So please, please, please if possible take your pets with you for the day or leave with a neighbor as a bitten buyer is a sure fire way to loose a sale. Also put the litter box, doggie beds, toys and all things pet in the garage for the day and of course turn on your
Scentsy so your home smells inviting and not like Fido.
When your home is for sale you may not get much notice from a Realtor that your home is being shown, so a good thing to do each day before you leave is have a "junk" box that you can toss the mail you haven't looked at or whatever you have laying around on the counters into and stash to review later. That way your home is viewing ready at all times.
These are just a few open house basics that can help you get that sold sign up faster and get you packed a bit in the process.
Apryl
via Martha Stewart
