Tips for Getting Your Home Ready for an Open House

Are you preparing to list your house for sale and open it up to the public? There are a few things you will want to take care of before you reach that point. For a quick list of some of the basics, read on.

Beautify the Yard

When you’re wondering how to sell your house, the perfect place to start is the area buyers will see first when they arrive at your street. After all, curb appeal matters. Besides mowing the lawn, a handful of broad cleanup efforts can make a big impact:

• Rake the leaves and clean up other debris
• Trim trees and bushes
• Remove dead flowers, bushes and so on
• Sweep or spray the driveway and sidewalks
• Edge the yard
• Weed flower beds
• Plant new flowers

Repair Problem Areas

You don’t want buyers to walk in and see holes in the walls, or to try a faucet only to discover the flow is merely a drizzle. All those little projects to fix up your house need to be taken care of to give buyers the best impression possible. Your home doesn’t have to be perfect, of course. However, repairing what you can will not only increase the value your property, but can also improve buyers’ perceptions as to how well your home has been maintained. A home that looks like a fixer-upper strikes buyers very differently than one that is already in move-in ready condition.

Perform Inexpensive Renovations

If your house is looking a bit outdated and you don’t have the budget to replace cabinets, countertops and other things, a cheaper solution may be possible. For cabinets, a simple paint job can bring a fresh, new look while preserving the beauty of the trim. Countertops, showers, tubs, sinks and tile floors may be possible to simply refinish for a fraction of the cost of replacements. In short, you might be able to update many parts of your home with no more investment than a complete tear-out in just a single area would have cost you.

Clean Thoroughly

If you live in a home long enough, there may be pockets of filth in places you haven’t even considered in years. You might want to create a list of areas to deep-clean so you don’t forget anything. Some of those areas may include:

• Dirt-filled window sills
• Crumby drawers and cabinets in the kitchen
• Dust-encrusted trim and faceplate covers
• Food-covered floors under kitchen appliances
• Hairy shower and tub drains

Eliminate Personal Effects

Before you have strangers traipsing through your home, you might want to give some serious consideration to clearing out private property. Your family’s journals, photographs, financial records and more should be safeguarded against random and unauthorized access. Besides that, buyers don’t want to see clutter crammed into every corner or closet.

Unfortunately, since your entire house is up for review during an open house, you can’t just shove it into the basement, garage or closet. You can’t exactly padlock a room without raising concerns from the visitors about being unable to see it. Therefore, the easiest way to take care of the extra property is to get a temporary storage room or even rent a storage container to place on your driveway.

Stage to Impress

The final step in preparing for an open house, after you’ve removed all the clutter and personal items, is to stage your home. If you already have a few quality pieces of furniture and decorations, you can leave it in your home to arrange aesthetically. If what you have isn’t suitable, you may want to rent a few items. Many homes are shown completely empty, but staging with a minimal complement of items can help buyers visualize the possibilities of the space better.

Now that you have your home cleaned up, cleared out and beautified, you’re ready for the masses. Plus, the next owner will appreciate all the hard work you’ve put in to make it comfortable and ready for living.