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7 Steps to Preparing for
an Open House 1. Hire a cleaning service. A spotlessly clean home is essential;
dirt will turn off a prospect faster than anything.
2. Pay attention to the outdoors. Mow your lawn, and be sure toys and yard equipment are put away.
3. Serve cookies, coffee, and
soft drinks. It creates a welcoming touch. But be sure the kitchen has been cleaned up; use disposable cups so the
sink doesn’t fill up.
4.
Lock up your valuables, jewelry, money & medicines. Although the real estate salesperson will be on site
during the open house, it’s impossible to watch everyone all the time.
5. Turn on all the lights. Even in the daytime, incandescent lights
add sparkle.
6. Send
your pets to a neighbor or take them outside. If that’s not possible, crate them or confine them to one room
(a basement or bath), and let the salesperson know where to find them.
7. Leave. It’s awkward for prospective buyers to look in your
closets and express their opinions of your home with you there.
Make Your Home Irresistible:
10 Open House Tips 1. Add a touch of color. Use fresh or silk flowers to breathe
life and color into the main rooms. A colored afghan or throw on the couch will jazz up a dull room.
2. Make the bathrooms feel luxurious. Put away those
old towels and toothbrushes. When buyers enter your bathroom, they should feel pampered. Add a new shower curtain, fresh towels,
and fancy guest soaps.
3. Does
it smell good? Fresh baked cookies you have made are great for a homey smell. Make sure that there are no lingering
scents from cigarettes or pets. Avoid heavily sented candles and strong potpourri. Some people are alergic to them!
4. Help them envision living
there. Set the table with pretty dishes and unlit candles, and create other vignettes throughout the home to help
buyers picture themselves there. For example, in the basement lay out a chess game.
5. Beautify the entrance. Buy a fresh doormat with
a pretty pattern or a clever saying.
6. Make the rooms feel bigger. Take one or two major pieces of furniture out of every room to create
a sense of spaciousness.
7.
Accentuate counter space. Put away kitchen appliances and personal bathroom items to give the illusion of
more counter space.
8. Lay
logs in the fireplace. Or put a basket of flowers there if it’s not in use. Never use plastic flowers or greenery.
Bring in LIFE with real flora!
9.
Depersonalize the rooms. Put away family photos, mementos, and distinctive artwork.
10. The
lawn should sparkle. Turn on the sprinklers for 30 minutes to make the lawn sparkle.
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