If you’re trying to sell your house, then you need to schedule an open house. The problem is that many homeowners fail to leverage this strategy since they don’t know what homebuyers are looking for when they walk around rooms.
Today, you can stop second-guessing and instead focus on the following:
1. Cleanliness
Cleanliness is next to godliness or, in real estate speak, close to a deal. Keeping your for-sale property neat provides plenty of benefits to buyers. It shows the house is well-cared for, signs of damage aren’t visible, and can help them envision themselves living in the home.
A day or two before an open house, hire home cleaner services to walk through the property, scrubbing every surface imaginable. It’s best to hire cleaners familiar with cleaning for open house showings as they know what buyers will scrutinize most.
A good cleaner has a green approach. Using non-toxic products that won’t harm pets or small children is crucial, especially when you’re inviting buyers into the home with kids.
2. Lighting
Open houses can sometimes take place during non-ideal times of day, like first thing in the morning or late afternoon. Having an ideal amount of lighting throughout the home will help buyers picture themselves living there and highlight the property’s most important areas. It also makes the space less drab and more inviting.
Make sure exterior lighting is working and immediately change any burnt-out light bulbs to a new one. Create a welcoming glow in the living room, dining room, and kitchen by opening up curtains or blinds during open house showings. It’s good practice to have these rooms lit from both inside and outside for maximum visibility into your property.
3. Spotless Bathrooms and Spacious Kitchens
Pretty much everyone has an opinion on what the bathroom should look like before they step foot into a home. What you want is to keep yours spotless, smelling fresh, and looking clean. Wash all the bath towels, change old toilet paper, and scrub sinks, tubs, and toilets until they are smear-free.
Besides the bathroom, you want to focus your attention on the kitchen. This part of the house remains one of the favorites of most homebuyers. In fact, an upgraded kitchen can give you a return on investment of a whopping 70 percent.
Give the kitchen an intensive cleaning, clear out pantries and cupboards, and open every drawer.
4. Yard and Garden
More people are yearning for yards and gardens, especially during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many realized how the outdoors is essential for physical and mental health.
Your home doesn’t need to have a spacious yard. You just need to keep it less cluttered. Make your garden look presentable by trimming bushes, pulling weeds/grass, and leaving flowers in vases or flower pots.
If your yard needs sprucing up, hire a gardening company to come by before an open house. They will top off your garden with fresh flowers, plant new ones, and weed out those that have died out. Consider landscape decorative curbing, iron gates, or other stylish accents to improve the look.
5. Mementos and Household Decorations
Keep in mind that you’re trying to sell a house, not inviting people to join a house tour. If you have some doilies, figurines, or photo frames lying around, remove them from the for-sale property. You can throw them away, store them somewhere, or donate some.
Either way, you want homebuyers to look at your rooms how they would typically appear if no one were there except for themselves. This may be a difficult task, but decorating too much can take away the potential buyer’s ability to imagine themselves in the house.
6. Smart Technology
Today’s technology can make life easier through automation, so it isn’t surprising that more homeowners want to have one. The demand for smart homes could achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 25 percent from 2021 to 2026 alone.
Smart door locks eliminate the need to carry key fobs or worry about lost keys. They also allow you to see who is at your front door from anywhere and receive notifications when someone presses a button on your lock or gate. Smart thermostats can be programmed from anywhere with a smartphone.
It pays to invest in smart tech to sell fast, and don’t forget to show them off during the open house. If you’re not sure how the devices work, research online or ask questions from a professional.
Final Thoughts
The entire point of having an open house is to let potential buyers become familiar with the home so that they can make an informed decision about whether they want to purchase it. With these tips, you can work on making your house show-ready so you can sell fast.
