Real Estate
18 September, 2020
10 steps to improve your open home
When selling your home, there are many little things you can do to give your agent the best possible chance of getting a contract. These small steps will make for a better open home and could even improve the offer from a prospective purchaser.
1. Prepare. Do your home work. Before listing go to many open homes. Be critical, review how the home is presented. Look for the simple touches that lift the appeal of the home. It might be as simple as flowers in the living area, how they arrange the towels in the bathroom, but look for the small things that can make a difference.
2. De-Clutter every room. Clutter makes rooms appear smaller and also less appealing. Wide open spaces will sell. Move the clutter to a storage shed. Empty cupboards, clean up toys in the kids bedrooms and make your home more appealing for a greater section of the market.
3. Lighten and Brighten. Dark rooms are a turn off. Throw open the curtains, check that all lights work and replace all old bulbs with brighter LED bulbs. Add a few lamps to the living area to also brighten and lighten.
4. Clean. Are the bathrooms clean? What about the oven and cook top? Ensure those areas are sparkling. A dirty bathroom or kitchen will bring down the asking price. The buyer will think they will need to redecorate or renovate a dirty bathroom and this can be expensive, so the offer can be reduced.
5. If it’s broken, fix it. Those little jobs need to be done. The leaking tap, or the door that sticks. These can all be deal breakers and will reduce the price.
6. De-personalise your home. It’s important that a buyer sees a home they can make theirs. So don’t showcase your life, de-personalise and let the buyer see how they can make this place theirs. Also store all jewellery, valuables and electronic equipment away from sight.
7. Time to garden. Get the garden looking neat and also under control. Weed the garden, spread mulch. Let the buyer see that all they have to do is maintain the space not bring in a skip and clear the jungle.
8. Is the street appeal great? Stand outside and really look at your home. Review the street appeal. Is it tidy, neat, appealing? Clean the yard; ensure bins are empty and also smelling nice. Empty the bug and fly catcher. Check the palings on the fences. All little jobs but very important.
9. Time to style. Style the bedroom, a nice throw over the bed, add some extra colour cushions. Arrange the towels in the bathroom. Move the toothbrushes and toothpaste. Add some colour. It doesn’t need to look like Vogue, but looking stylish will help.
10. Make an entrance. Clear the entrance, add some colour. Hit them with a wow factor when they walk in. Get rid of the shoes in the entrance. Declutter and add colour. If taking a little time and effort helps you to get a contract quickly and also achieve the price expectation you have, it is worth taking the time to help your Agent out by preparing for your first open home.
