An open house is a great way to sell your home, but using the event well means planning each stage with care. It’s a day you’ll want to prepare for weeks in advance, but don’t worry, potential buyers will know when you’ve put in the extra effort, and the offers could even come in by the end of the day.
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Get an Appraisal or a Comparitive Market Analysis (CMA) First
You will want to know before talking with buyers exactly what you’re asking for your home. That’s where an appraisal comes in. Before an open house, you need an official estimate of your home’s worth. And before the appraiser shows up, you need to make your home as presentable as possible. For the most part the appraiser will know what the house is worth based on sales in the neighborhood and tax records, but an appraiser is still a person and you want their overall impression to be a good one. This includes working on the curb appeal, minor fixes around the house, and making sure everything is clean and decluttered. Taking care of these first will leave you better prepared when it’s time for your open house.
A comparative market analysis (CMA) is an estimate of a home’s value based on similar properties that have recently sold in the immediate area. Your real estate agent can create CMA reports to help sellers set listing prices for their homes and to help buyers make competitive offers.
Choose the Right Day
Try to schedule the open house for a convenient time for as many people as possible. Weekends are best, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). So schedule your event for a Saturday or Sunday. Remember that many people sleep late on the weekends, so set the time for the afternoon, for example, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.
Stage Your Home
HGTV says staging your home is important for a successful open house. Many experts recommend decorating the home with fresh flowers and baking cookies for buyers to enjoy. Nothing says home sweet home like the irresistible aroma of baked goods. However, you should never try to mask objectionable odors with too much air freshener or scented candles. A lot of perfume in the air is a turn off and it may seem like you’re hiding something.
You, of course, love the pictures of your relatives, treasured friends, and animal companions. However, your buyers want to imagine their own photos sitting on the mantles and hanging from the walls, so remove these touches to open the rooms for their imagination.
Last but not least (as far as staging goes), you can give yourself an edge over the competition by using a free pamphlet template to make a pamphlet including information and pictures on the house that prospective buyers can take with them. Trust us: that will make a wonderful impression!
It May Be Time for an Update
Pay attention to the little things. Make sure handrails, door knobs, hinges, etc., are tight and polished. Create a focal point for each room to draw visitor’s eyes to its most appealing features.
If you don’t want to mess around with buckets of paint, but your wall could use brightening, consider wallpaper. Today’s wallpaper is easier to apply, easier to remove, and comes in an endless variety of modern designs. You may enjoy wallpapering so much that you’ll do it again when you move into your new home. After all, with online tools that let you create your own designs, you can truly personalize each room of your new home.
Afterwards Bask in the Success
When everyone’s gone and you’ve got your house back, it feels good to relax in your clean spruced-up home. You may not have the energy to cook afterwards, so if it’s in the budget splurge on takeout or pizza and kick back with the family on the couch with a movie. You’ve set things in motion and it could be merely hours before the offers come in. An open house is a great sales tool. The effort you put in now could reap great rewards later.
Credit to: Dan Hall | https://dadschange.com/
