Open House Checklist: 6 Tips for Home Sellers

Whether you’re getting your home ready for the Howard Hanna Big Event or your agent has suggested holding an open house at another time, there are certain tasks you’ll be expected to take care of when selling your home.

Sellers: What To Expect From an Open House

If your agent is holding an open house to show your property, they’ll have a ton of ideas and tips for you! They’re your #1 resource for what to do next.

However, there are some things you’ll need to do for nearly any open house:

• Deep clean. You’ll want to make sure the space is extra-clean. With lots of eyes on the home, this is your opportunity to garner attention, and you don’t want to lose potential buyers due to dust and dirt. They’ll want to see a well-kept, beautiful home.
• Stage it. This can be as simple as decluttering and rearranging furniture advantageously, and as complex as renting all-new furniture. Here are some tips if you need to stage a home quickly, and some tips if you have more time.

• Remove pets. You never know who’s allergic or will be turned off a home by pet hair or smells. In addition to removing pets, you should attempt to minimize any signs of them. Pet odors and hair can be just as bad as the real thing.

• Eliminate odors. It’s not just pet odors that buyers may have an issue with. Before an open house, don’t cook any strongly-scented foods, and do your best to neutralize odors. That includes things like strong perfumes, room sprays, and candles. Your home should smell like nothing, ideally.

• Brighten up. Open all the curtains and blinds, and turn on all the lights. Buyers want to be able to see your lovely home.

• Get out. You are a wonderful person and people like you. But at an open house, buyers are less comfortable exploring and expressing opinions if the seller is present.

After the Open House

Open houses can be really illuminating for home sellers! Agents will receive feedback from buyers and their agents, which can help you better understand what buyers like – and dislike – about your home.

Armed with this additional feedback, your agent will help you strategize about where to go next. In many cases, you may need to prepare for second showings – or you may even get an offer!

If the feedback you receive isn’t so great, take time with your real estate agent to determine whether you need to improve any elements of the home, or even consider repricing your property.

An open house is a really powerful way to garner interest in your home for sale. It can generate buzz and efficiently shows off your property to interested buyers. Make the most of your event by making sure your home is in great shape to shine.

Looking for open houses near you? Find them easily at any time by visiting our wesbite! Whether you’re looking for a home, condo, or townhouse, we’ll help you find open houses near you.