When you put a property on the market, you might choose to have an open house. This is when the house can be viewed by potential buyers at a previously scheduled period of time. Open houses usually attract numerous interested parties and can lead to the seller receiving offers afterwards.
But, to ensure you do receive offers, the house must be in tip-top shape before viewers are allowed to enter. There are several issues that can impact a potential buyer’s decision, and there are ways to minimize these problems. As the seller, you will want to clean and declutter, carry out minor repairs, and improve the house’s curb appeal.
All three of these tasks will be outlined in more detail throughout this post.
Declutter and Tidy Up
The first step to complete is cleaning and removing clutter from the property in advance of the open house. If you are currently or have recently been living in the house, this can be difficult, but it is an essential aspect to carry out. Decluttering will even make it easier when you move into your next property by reducing the number of unnecessary items you’ll need to box up and unpack.
With less clutter around the house, it will be easier to clean. You should look at the usual cleaning spots around the house as well as bigger tasks, such as carpets and rugs, paintwork, and so on.
For some people, this is tough if they have other responsibilities like looking after family or working full-time. If this is your situation, you could hire a professional to give you house a deep clean before the open house; this would ensure every inch of the property is left sparkling. Some cleaning services, like Val’s Services Cleaning, even offer cleaning when moving in or out of a property, which can reduce the stress you experience during this time in your life.
Complete Minor Repairs
After cleaning and tidying up the property, you might begin to notice small flaws that need fixing. This might be touching up some paintwork near the front door, tightening a loose door hinge, or getting a dripping faucet fixed. These are the types of issues that can dampen viewers’ perspectives of the house, so repairing them ahead of time is a good idea.
One of the simplest home repairs you can do is give rooms a fresh coat of paint. This can be very important if areas have become faded or dirty, especially around doorframes and where light shines through windows. A neutral colour of paint is often best to give a relatively blank canvas for potential buyers without losing the cosy quality your property might have.
If you spot any small issues you can fix yourself or hire a professional to do so, it is worth considering. Potential buyers will remember any problems they see, and they will calculate the costs that could build up if they were to buy the property in its current condition.
Improve Curb Appeal
Finally, you should look at the outside of the property. Curb appeal is incredibly important when you have an open house; you must think about how potential buyers will view the property externally. Even if the inside is pristine, the outside of the property can leave a bad impression. To ensure viewers see the house at its best, you must look at the building and the yard separately.
When considering the exterior of the building, this can be a time-consuming and expensive task. Some issues, like crumbling brickwork and cracked window frames, might affect the aesthetics of the building as well as the practicality of it. As well as these two aspects, you must look at shutters, doors, gutters, and roofing to determine the work that needs to be done.
Additionally, the landscaping of the property should be analyzed. It can be tempting to create the perfect outdoor area, but all you need to worry about is if it is neat and tidy. A messy yard will make it tougher for prospective buyers to imagine living in the house, so you must care for the lawn, trim any bushes, and ensure any paving is washed thoroughly.
By completing the three tasks mentioned in this post, your open house will have more chance of success, and you might even sell your property a lot quicker, too.
