It’s officially spring, which means the homebuying season is underway.
Although interest rates are higher than they’ve been during the past couple of years, an increase in housing inventory is allowing some folks to enter the market after watching from the sidelines. And if folks are looking to buy, it might be the right time to sell your house. One way of getting a jump on other properties is to hold an open house.
Why hold an open house? It’s a chance to throw open the doors and dazzle buyers. Whether you’re looking to sell now or later in the year, these tips will make your open house a hit and help to sell your home much quicker.
Let your Realtor take the lead
Your job is to make your house look like a million bucks. The job of a Realtor – an expert on your local real estate market and what makes buyers tick – is to take care of the rest.
The Realtor will take the lead on hosting the open house, communicating with potential buyers and their agents and replaying any feedback to you following the open house.
Try some simple staging
You want your home to look its best while it’s on the market, especially during the open house. Many Realtors say the best way to primp your home for its big day is to stage it.
Depending on what your Realtor recommends, staging might involve renting new furniture or decor for specific rooms in your home. Consider displaying a bouquet of fresh flowers in the entryway, setting your dining room table to make it look inviting, or turning on your outdoor sprinklers shortly before visitors arrive to make your lawn sparkle.
Clean like crazy
When your home is on the market, you need to keep it in showing shape – not only for the open house but also for any scheduled showings with buyers. Unfortunately, even though you’ve already cleaned and organized your home for listing photos, there’s a good chance you’ve let clutter or dust pile up again, especially if you have children or pets.
No fingerprints, please
Clean and organize your closets, cabinets and under the sinks. (During an open house, buyers are allowed to be nosy.) Clear every bit of clutter and get rid of it or put it in storage.
Don’t have the bandwidth to do a deep clean? Hire a house cleaning service to do the work for you. If you’re unsure which service to hire, ask your Realtor to recommend cleaners.
Do a smell check
If buyers get a whiff of something funky, they’ll run – not walk – out of your open house.
Before the open house, ask your Realtor or a neighbor to do an honest, no-holds-barred smell check. If your house has the aroma of your beloved pet, deep clean the carpets, relocate the litter box and take steps to eliminate traces of pet activity.
If the basement is dank and musty, buy a dehumidifier to remove air moisture and run a fan to circulate the air.
If the kitchen drain stinks, drop in a cup of baking soda and then two cups of white vinegar. Enjoy the bubbling and then let the mixture sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Finally, run hot water for 15 to 30 seconds to flush the odor.
Put pictures, valuables away
Personal belongings such as family photos, awards and religious art can distract homebuyers and make it harder for them to imagine themselves living in your home. You don’t have to go overboard – the idea isn’t to eliminate every trace of yourself – but consider temporarily hiding some pictures and personal effects out of sight during the open house.
Also, there’s a safety element to showing your personal belongings. It’s important to remember you’re inviting strangers into your home. Consider securely storing personal items (checkbooks, jewelry, prescription medications, etc.) and lock your windows and doors afterward.
Let the light in
Light not only brightens your space but also makes rooms look and feel larger. On open house day, open all curtains and blinds to let natural light in. Also, replace every burnt-out light bulb in and outside the home. Buyers should see a working light every time they flip a switch.
Spotlight home’s best features
Even though you won’t be there, you can still draw visitors’ attention to features in your home you’d like to highlight. Before the open house, post friendly, aesthetically pleasing signs around the house with calls to action such as, “Look down – new hardwood floors!” or “Gas fireplace. Push this button.”
Buyers will likely appreciate the help and that they’re working with a conscientious seller.
After the open house ends, your Realtor will share with you questions buyers asked and any comments they overheard from visitors. It’s important to stay open to buyers’ feedback and to follow your Realtor’s advice about how to respond.
For example, based on buyers’ reactions, your Realtor might recommend you make certain repairs, do some painting, or invest in additional staging before your next open house.
Whatever they advise, it’s not personal – it’s just the business of selling your home.
As a reminder to the public and to other Realtors, listing agents can register open houses in Flexmls, which populate to the public at gcar.net/consumer-tools/openhouses. This is a helpful way for homebuyers to plan their day when home shopping.
Selling your house can be stressful, but utilizing the expertise of a Realtor can help make the entire process more seamless. A Realtor will work with you to make sure you get the most out of your most valued investment. That’s Who We R.
Founded in 1912, Greater Chattanooga Realtors is the voice for real estate in Greater Chattanooga. A regional organization with more than 2,700 members, Greater Chattanooga Realtors serves Hamilton and Sequatchie counties in southeast Tennessee and Catoosa, Dade and Walker counties in northwest Georgia. The association is one of approximately 1,100 local associations and boards of Realtors nationwide that comprise the National Association of Realtors. Greater Chattanooga Realtors owns and operates a Multiple Listing Service that is one of approximately 600 MLSs in the country and services more than 3,000 MLS users. Local association membership consists of Realtors servicing the Greater Chattanooga area and specializing in a variety of disciplines, including appraisal, commercial, industrial, land, multifamily, property management and residential. Affiliate members who represent related industries work alongside these Realtors, including mortgage lenders, home inspectors, title and closing services, pest inspection and control services and insurance providers.