When it’s time for an open house of course you need to clean your house, but there’s a few not so obvious things you need to take care of before the crowds come. Hiding these few things from view will make your home more inviting and desirable to potential buyers so someone falls in love with the property when they come to visit.
Even if you don’t stage your home, be sure to hide these 5 things before potential buyers start showing up.
1. Your Pet
Dogs and other pets can be rowdy, messy distracting at an open house. Even if you have a friendly family pet, take them to a friend’s house or out with you during the open house. Some buyers might be allergic to pet hair or even scared of animals.
And most importantly hide their SMELL from your home. When you clean, don’t forget to deodorize. The best way to ensure there are no unpleasant lingering smells is with scented candles or plugins. Don’t choose something too overpowering, just something light and pleasant.
2. Family photos
Buyers want to see their family living in the house, not yours. Taking down family photos depersonalizes the home, creating a neutral space. Don’t worry, this is just temporary. You can bring out the full timeline of school photos later.
Some people suggest leaving just one or two family photos up as a way of staging your home. This is like the stock photos of families in new picture frames – just a touch of personality but not too intrusive.
3. Clutter
It’s important to not only clean your home but de-clutter it. Get rid of clunky design pieces, papers and magnets on your refrigerator, kids toys, and even unnecessary furniture. Keeping furniture and décor to a minimum will make your home look bigger which prospective buyers will love. Putting away area rugs as well, buyers want to see your floors and rugs break up the flow of your space making it look smaller.
The emptier you make your house, the more buyers will be able to imagine themselves filling the space.
4. Religious or political paraphernalia
–It’s not uncommon to have religious statues, wall hangings or pictures in the home and most sellers won’t think twice about leaving them up once it’s time to sell. However you could be unintentionally driving away potential buyers if they don’t share the same religious beliefs. Same goes for political posters or campaign pieces.
Sounds silly right? It is, yet we all know these are controversial topics of conversation. The key is to neutralize your home, creating a canvas for the potential buyer to imagine themselves making their own.
5. Yourself!
Don’t hover, just put your real estate agent in charge and let them run the show. Although you want stay involved in your home sale, it’s important not to get too involved. Your presence can make potential buyers uncomfortable, making them feel like you’re looking over their shoulder. Buyers want to explore your home on your own, no pressure. When it comes time to for your open house, take the afternoon to run some errands or visit friends.
There’s plenty of tricks of the trade when it comes to selling a house, work with a real estate so you can learn them all. You can find an agent online or simply reach out and we’ll connect you with an expert in your area.
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