When you’re selling your home, a popular marketing tactic that your real estate agent may try is to host a few open homes to bring potential buyers onto your property. Now because you, the selling homeowner, won’t be around during the open house, you might feel like there’s not much you can do to contribute to a successful event. But the truth is, hosting an open house is the last step in the process AFTER all the preparations have been finalised.
The Home Preparation Process
STEP ONE
FIX
STEP TWO
CLEAN
STEP THREE
STAGE
STEP 1 – FIX
Before you list your home, you will want to make sure it’s ready to sell. Renovate and repair anything that’s broken. If you don’t, most buyers will expect a reduced price so they can make the necessary repairs themselves. If you’re unsure about how much renovating should you do, it might be a good idea to talk to your agent or hire an appraiser to go through your home and help you determine what’s ‘worth’ fixing.
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STEP 2 – CLEAN
Now that all the messy work is done & dusted, it’s time to treat your house to the 3D’s.
Declutter, Depersonalise and Deep clean.
Removing the clutter is a vital part of the process. Not only will this help make your home feel more spacious, but it will also allow buyers to envision themselves living in the home.
Open homes can make people feel like they’re intruding on someone’s life. To avoid this, store away any personal items. Read “8 Tips to Depersonalise Your Home”.
Once you’ve done the two D’s mentioned above, it’s time to get your hands dirty and deep clean EVERYTHING (yes, that includes the oven too).
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STEP 3 – STAGE
Professional home-staging is the cherry on top, making your home marketable. Having your property styled is no different than putting on your best clothes for an important job interview. You do it to create lasting impressions and to show that you are serious about selling.
Once you’ve gotten the home ready for the open house, then it is time to lift the curtain and let the show begin. If you want to maximise your chances of a successful sale, there are a few more things you can do last minute (up to 24hrs) before the open day.
So without any further ado, these are our 5 Tips to Achieve a Successful Sale.
1. QUICK CLEAN
Whether your home is vacant or lived-in during the sale process, chances are that it got a bit dirty since the deep clean. During showings and open houses, every part of your home will be out and on display, so make sure to give it one last quick clean – vacuum, wipe the benches, flush the toilet with a cleaning gel and for the extra special touch – wipe your kitchen sink with a lemon. This will give it a nice sparkle and a fresh, pleasant smell.
- DON’T cook anything fragrant the night before or in the morning of the open day. What smells nice to you may not smell nice to your potential buyers.
- DON’T take a steaming hot shower just before the open home. It will leave the entire bathroom misty and wet.
2. REMOVE ANY TRACES OF PETS
Yes, we get it. Your dog may be the cutest thing under the sun, but some people downright hate the idea of pets living in the house. To ensure you maximise the number of potential buyers, play it safe and hide any traces of your pet (bed, bowls, toys, etc.). Why not take your dog to the park for the day?
PS: This photo was snapped at one of our recent installs in Newstead. Caitlin has just made the bed, turned around to grab the throw and when she turned back, this little rascal made herself comfortable. We can’t even be mad 🙂
3. LET THE LIGHT IN
Open up the shades, blinds and curtains and turn on all the lights (using cool white lightbulbs if you can). A well-lit home makes the space appear bigger, cosier, and more open, so make sure you accentuate that before the open home. Read “3 Home-Staging Illusions” to learn how to bring more light into your home.
4. CREATE A PLEASANT TEMPERATURE
Make sure your home is not too hot, but not too cold! It needs to be set at a comfortable temperature for everyone, so they’ll want to stay a while and look around. If the home is too hot or cold, buyers will leave quickly without being sold on the home.
5. LAY OUT SOME REFRESHMENTS
You don’t have to go all out to add that extra touch to your open home. A simple bowl of Mentos and a few bottles of chilled water go a long way, especially on a hot day. Stimulating all five senses of your prospective buyers makes your home more memorable and helps build that necessary emotional connection. Read “How to Appeal to All 5 Senses of Your Buyers”.
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