Your open house is the prime opportunity to make your house shine. It is the perfect time to showcase your home to potential buyers and to wow them with your property.

It is, however, also the time that things can quickly fall apart. Don’t let your open house day become a disaster! The following list of “don’ts” will guide you as you prepare for your open house:

1. Do not linger during the open house. If you think that your presence during at an open house will benefit you: think again. Buyers are simply not comfortable looking through a house when the seller is present. Make yourself scarce during the open house so that potential buyers can leisurely tour your home. Your real estate agent will be present to answer questions, to discuss the home and to show potential buyers all of the wonderful features of your home.
2. Do not leave your pets in the home during the open house. It is important to remember that not everyone loves pets. And not everyone wants your dog jumping up to greet them as they walk through the front door. It is also quite distracting to have a barking, whining dog behind a closed during the open house, as well. Take Fido or Fluffy with you when you leave, and don’t forget to hide all evidence of your pets before you leave, as well (think: litter box!).
3. Do not leave your dishes in the sink. Your spotless kitchen will be forever tarnished in the eyes of buyers when they see your dirty breakfast dishes sitting in the sink. Take a moment and clear the sink so that buyers can imagine themselves in your University Park home.
4. Do not return to the house until everyone has left. Just like the first “don’t,” buyers just don’t want to see the owner during an open house. It makes them uncomfortable and unlikely to take the time to thoroughly tour your home. And that means that showing up before the open house has concluded is also a no-no. Don’t return until all signs of the open house are gone.
5. Do not underestimate the power of setting the mood. Preparing your home for your open house also means creating an atmosphere that welcomes potential buyers and makes them feel at home. Don’t forget to light the fireplace, arrange fresh flowers on the dining room table and open the curtains to let the sunshine flood the home.

Tags: Open House, Seller Tips

This entry was posted on Monday, August 24th, 2009 at 6:51 pm and is filed under Seller Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.