Your Open House: Making the Perfect First Impression

Selling your home comes with many steps and processes to make sure that you are getting the deal you want. Everything from finding the perfect real estate agent, to putting in some upgrades to raise the value, and even to the open house and all that’s in between, takes time to make the entire thing run smoothly. With the right tips, advice and overseeing by a professional, you should be on your way to selling your home in no time.

So let’s focus on the open house. Your ideal scenario would be hosting an open house and by the end of it having the offer of your dreams to sell your home, and it’s possible with the right approach.

One of the most important factors that way on a buyer’s mind is how it looked at the open house, what first impression it made and could they see the house accommodating their needs and lifestyle. Other than the price of the home, the open house is the weighs the most in their decision, it’s their only chance to truly capture the beauty of your home and all it has to offer. Ultimately, it’s vital to the success of your sale to put a much needed extra effort into making sure the open house delivers that great impression that leaves a great picture in the potential buyers’ heads.

Here are some great tips to help you get your home ready to sell at the open house:

Think broad, not narrow

We all have our own styles and preferences, and many of us make the mistake of thinking that everyone has the same taste. Unfortunately, many sellers lose a potential buyer because the way the home is decorated and personalized turns them off to the point that they can’t picture themselves living there. If your home has rooms with vibrant and ‘out-there’ colors, or even unique furniture pieces, do your best to tone it down.

Repaint the walls to a gorgeous neutral color and see if you can work with other furniture, whether that means renting some from a staging company or borrowing some from a friend. You don’t want to lose a sale because the home has too much of ‘you’ in it. Also, think about anything you may have up on the walls, if you love having a bunch of pictures, take some of them down and only have a few up so that it looks less cluttered. Think about the larger audience, rather than narrowing it down to specific groups.

Freshen it up

Nothing can be worse than walking into a home only to be greeted by a strange smell or layers of dust and old carpets. As professionals in the real estate world, we know the damage that can be done in this scenario. A house can be on the market for much longer than it should be because it wasn’t properly cleaned beforehand.

Think about whether you want to do the cleaning yourself to save money or if you’d rather have it done professionally. You should paint any walls that seem faded or marked up, clean any carpets that have stains or smells, make sure the closets are clear or at least organized, dust the shelves, and make sure you really focus on the kitchen, as that is the heart of the home. If you have pets, you’ll definitely want to either clean or replace the carpet, and if you just have hardwood floors that have been scratched by them, get them touched up enough to hide them well.

Make it inviting

It’s the small things that really capture the buyer’s attention. After you’re done cleaning make sure you and your realtor work on making the home warm and welcoming by adding a few items to set the mood. You’ll want some delicious treats; cookies, chocolate, crackers, cheese, maybe even wine, whatever the two of you think fits your target buyers’ personalities. You’ll want to add a few candles as well. Not only do they help with the aroma, but they also just help people relax and help them feel like they’re ‘home.’

Don’t forget about the landscaping

Yes, the interior of the home is extremely important, but if you think about it the exterior is truly the first impression the buyers get. You want your home to have great curb appeal with freshly cut grass, bloomed flowers and some shrubs to accent the area. Make it colorful and bright, and give them something to talk about before they even get inside.

Before you host an open house with your realtor, keep these in mind and you’ll be sure to get off to a great start. Our experience and knowledge can provide you with an endless amount of recommendations to make your home one that the buyers won’t ever forget, and for good reasons only!