After flipping 4 houses, moving my mom, and selling our own properties, it’s safe to say I know a thing or two about prepping for an open house. In fact, one of Ryan and I’s favourite past times is visiting open houses in our favourite neighbourhoods. Feel free to make fun of us for that one š But in all seriousness, it can be really stressful to list a property. Sometimes, we’ve been in a mad panic, rushing last minute to get the house ready for buyers to walk through! Yes, definitely stressful! But, preparing in advance in the right way can seriously relieve some of those jitters and make the moving process much easier later on. Here are my 10 ways to prep for an open house that are sure to make all the difference in the world.
- Declutter – It’s actually crazy what we can accumulate in our houses in a short amount of time. No one wants to come into a space and see your stuff everywhere, so the best thing you can do is spend time decluttering and purging. Take a few loads to good will, store things at your friends or family’s house or even rent some storage until you move. If you don’t do anything else, this first step will make the biggest difference…and help significantly when it comes to the actual moving day too.
- Depersonalize –Ā There are two reasons for clearing your space of personal objects when holding an open house to sell your home. One: it allows potential buyers to visualize themselves and their things in the space. Two: it protects your privacy. Less is definitely more here. Put away family photographs and other personal objects, and go for cleared surfaces.
- Clean! – It seems obvious to make sure your home looks spick and span before holding an open house. But think about the areas that don’t get cleaned as regularly – windows should get a quick wipe to hide any nose art from the dogs, mirrors should be cleared of marks and fingerprints and any glass should get a polish. Kitchens and bathrooms should always look nice and clean so people don’t get a grossed out vibe when they’re touring your place.
- Organize – When I’m going through an open house, I tend to open a drawer in the kitchen, a bathroom cupboard on the vanity or a bedroom closet or two. Storage is important to me and I know it is for a lot of buyers. Don’t think out of sight out of mind! Take a bit of time during your decluttering stage to organize the behind the scenes stuff too!
- Take out the Trash – I know it seems silly…a buyer is not going to look in my trash! No, probably not. But they may be looking at storage options (see #4) OR they may be able to smell the leftovers you ditched the night before. Which leads me to my next point…
- Think about the Smell – People can really beĀ put off by the smell of a house. Try not to cook anything crazy the day before or the day of your open house, open windows to get some fresh air circulating, and even light a few softly scented (plain vanilla is always safe) candles in the days leading up to your open house. I would steer clear of heavily scented wall flower plugs – they can be a tad overpowering and then I tend to think…what are they covering up!
- Lighting is Important – If your open house is during the day with natural lighting, then take full advantage of it. Buyers love natural light! Open blinds and curtains to make the most of the sunshine and showcase any nice views of the backyard. If there are parts of your home that are a little on the darker side, make sure to have them properly lit. If necessary, add some task lighting to create some ambiance in a room or to direct your buyers’ focus to a certain spot.
- The Little Things Matter – Stowing away the small stuff makes a big difference. Clear your counter space of any small appliances, put away the dog dishes and pack up all the products in your bathroom. In fact, even putting out some fresh towels can be a lovely added touch. I usually love havingĀ some fresh flowers on hand to place on the dining room table and even having some green apples arranged in a bowl adds a vibrant touch to the kitchen.
- Create a Good First Impression – Everything on the inside is important but make sure you create the right first impression on the outside. Sweep away the cobwebs on your porch, wipe down the front door and make sure all your mail is out of the mailbox. Maybe even put out a cute welcome mat!Ā
- Have a Checklist – This can all seem a tad overwhelming but if you create a checklist, then it becomes a cinch to keep yourself on track. After the open house, you can revert back to this checklist to do a quick sweep before more showings. But hopefully, after such an awesome open house, you won’t be needing any more showings, right?! š