When you’re selling a home, the open house is extremely important. An open house gives buyers a chance to see the property and form a great first impression. However, even if you’ve done everything else right, forgetting a few simple details may cost you – so before you show your house, make sure you’ve done the following:
1. Remove all signs of pets. Whether you have cats or dogs, you’ll probably want to get them out of the house (or at least shut away) while people are looking around. You’ll also want to remove the litter box from the home. Litter boxes are unattractive and may turn some buyers off. Take out (or stash) anything pet-related, like toys and food dishes.
2. Change the towels. Make sure the towels you shower with are switched out for clean, attractive ones. You may even consider buying a special matching set for use during your open house – after all, you’ll be able to use them down the road, and they make the bathroom that much nicer.
3. Open the curtains and let the light shine in. A bright house is a happy house – so make sure all the curtains and blinds are open to make your house as open and inviting as possible. Since you already cleaned the windows (you remembered to do that, right?), you should be in good shape to receive lots of sun.
4. Make it obvious which house is yours. Whether you tie balloons to the mailbox or put out a sign, make sure potential buyers know which house they’re looking for. You don’t want people inadvertently breaking in to your neighbor’s home – so make it obvious that your house is the open house.
5. Do a quick clutter check. Even if you just cleaned your house the day before, small bits of clutter may have accumulated since then. Shoes by the door, cleaning supplies on the counter and kids’ toys are particularly common – so make a last sweep through your house looking for anything that’s out of place.
You can make the most of selling a home by holding a great open house. Before you let people in, make sure you check for all these last minute things that many homeowners forget and you’ll be sure to have a successful real estate showing.
