There is nothing more promising than an open house showing. As a real estate agent, how you prepare the house can make or break offers and sales. There are also many things you can do to help make an open house even more successful.
While the weather is always unpredictable in Texas, here are some steadfast tips to prepare a house for the best open house you can.
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Declutter
If the house owner is still living there, this step can be a bit harder, but either way, it is still worth it. Viewers sometimes have a hard time imagining the space as they want it to look. Keeping the clutter and decorations to a minimum can help provide potential buyers a blank canvas.
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Clean the outside
Home washing is a great way to get the outside squeaky clean. This external cleaning effort includes windows, screens, and doors! There are hose attachments available, but not all houses have an outdoor water connection, and the task can become quite tedious. Taking a few moments to clean our rain gutters is also a great idea.
The front door has to be inviting. Sometimes something as simple as a fresh coat of paint and a new door handle and lock can change the entire appearance for minimal cost. Also, check all of the outside lighting fixtures and replace any that need a little TLC. It wouldn’t hurt to change out all of the bulbs and make sure the fixtures are bug-free and clean.
Cleaning the outside of the house also can mean ensuring that buyers can easily spot the house numbers. If the old ones look faded, be sure to update them. Bonus points if you can get them to match a house’s shutters. One final little thing for sprucing up the outside is to pick up a new welcome mat. It’s a nice clean and fresh start when viewers come to look around.
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Organize
Even if no one is living at the residents staging the room with some organizational options might help them visualize better what they can do with space—making it perfect. And buyers typically want to explore any closets and drawers.
When there are still tenants living at the house, work with them to condense what they have, maybe even getting a storage pod can help clear out the house and make it easier to sell.
Make repairs
Some buyers are okay with a bit of a home improvement project. Other buyers might not be. Taking the time to make any necessary repairs before showing the home will result in higher offers as there will be fewer things to fix.
Rearrange Furniture.
If there is still any furniture in the house, try to arrange it so that the rooms look as large as possible. This might mean removing some extra pieces in the rooms or just utilizing the space so that windows can be open. Buyers love natural lighting.
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De-personalize the rooms.
De-personalizing is hard to do, especially when the homeowners are still living in the house, but this can make a massive difference in viewings. Keeping things like mirrors or other minimal décor is fine, but personal things such as artwork, posters, even family photos can help sell a house. Keep easy-access storage for daily use items to be tucked away into during viewings.
New linens and pillows may also help neutralize the feel of a room or open it up more. Keep it a light color to highlight the size of the room. Air freshener is also a great option. Spray it often but don’t over-saturate the air. Some open house goers may have breathing problems when too much aerosol in the air, but the fresh scent is pleasant.
It all comes down to making the viewer feel like this home is already theirs.
Don’t forget the yard
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Curb appeal is one of the top five ways to boost your house’s return of investment (ROI). Top agents say that great curb appeal can help sellers increase the value of their house. This doesn’t mean that you need to go out and re-landscape your yard. Keep the lawn mowed and any greenery trimmed. Pull weeds and keep the walkways clean. If you feel adventurous, plant a few seasonal flowers as accents.
Deep clean the inside.
Don’t just vacuum the floor and think that will be enough. Years ago, buyers knew houses were lived in and didn’t mind a tiny fingerprint here or there. Today’s buyers expect the most bang for their buck and expect it to be clean.
Deep clean the carpet, and be sure to clean the interior windows too. Adding furniture polish to things can help the surface shine. Keep a duster around that can reach the ceiling fans and baseboards and do a walkthrough as needed. Detail clean around the front door inside and out.
Splurge for the good stuff, Windex the mirrors, and scrub every inch of the kitchen and bathroom. Those are two main selling points for a house. The cleaner they are, the better. Don’t forget to clean out the air vents. While it’s not something everyone checks, it helps keep any unwanted smells and dust out of your nice clean house.
The easy way to deep clean, Shine Window Cleaning has a team of experts in the Dallas and Austin area to help get your house open house ready. Windows, bathrooms, driveways, and more Shine Window Cleaning helps get your home sold faster.
We hope the tips above inspired you to prepare for your next open house. The main thing to remember is that people like clean. They believe it shows value, which can be the single most deciding factor on a successful open house.
