Hosting an open house is an essential step for anyone selling a home. A good open house can draw a lot of attention to your home and can even convince an interested buyer to take the plunge. Here are four things you can do to help make sure yours is a success:
1) Clean It Up. Your home should be the cleanest it’s ever been before you invite potential buyers in to have a look. This means more than just stuffing clutter into closets – you should scrub every surface and clean all the floors. You wouldn’t want to buy a used car with stains on the seats, so why should people want to buy a used house in the same condition?
2) Create an Inviting Scent. Because our senses of smell and taste are so old in evolutionary terms (they were the first two senses to evolve), they’ve got a mainline to the emotional brain. Smells are powerful motivators, so you should make sure there’s a pleasant scent waiting to greet your visitors on the day of your open house. This can be as simple as installing air fresheners in the main rooms, but if you want to go the extra mile, try baking a pie or stocking vases with aromatic flowers.
3) Prune the Hedges. Your home should look as good from the driveway as it does from the living room. A well-kept yard is one of the first things serious real estate investors look for, so make sure to mow the lawn, rake the leaves and trim back any overgrown plants before the day of your showing. A few tasteful decorations never hurt, either.
4) Give Buyers Something To Remember. If you want your home to stand apart from the other houses on the market, create keepsakes for potential buyers to take with them when they leave. Sachets of homemade cookies work wonders, but you could also provide a basket of customized pencils with your address on them. Any little token will really make your house stick out in a buyer’s mind.
Hosting an open house is a major step in the process of selling your home, so make sure that you’re as prepared for the big day as possible. Give yourself plenty of time to clean and organize, and never be afraid to do a little something extra to make your house memorable.
