Getting your house ready for open houses seems like a total pain, especially after you’ve already done so much work to get ready to list your home. This is when your house meets real people, though, not just the Realtor Mafia. These are neighbors who will tell their friends, people who are just starting on their house hunting journey, and clients wandering through with agents. This is the time for your home to shine!
Here are a few tips to get your house ready to impress:
Clean up the clutter. All of it. Even if you don’t think it’s clutter, pick it up and put it away.
Lower the toilet seat lids. Please.
Open all of your blinds all the way, not just to the “open twist”. If you can, remove your curtains (but leave the sheers) so they don’t bring any hint of darkness into the room. Make sure your windows are clean, too! Use a newspaper or microfiber towel to avoid lint.
Unlock your doors so people can venture into the yard and garage.
Turn on all the lights. ALL of them. Use warm colored light bulbs to warm up the space. The bright white cool colored bulbs that I love so much highlight flaws. You don’t want to allow any dark corners or “atmospheric” rooms. You want rooms to be light and bright and look bigger! Hopefully your ceilings are bright white (you did that, right?) and shining a light onto the ceiling will open up the room. Check out your lights, if they have dead bugs in them, vacuum them out! If your lampshades are dusty, replace them.
Use white in the bathroom. As much white as you can. Hotels use white to “prove” that rooms are clean and white in the bathroom will show that the bathroom is bigger and make it look new. After you clean the bathroom until it gleams and make sure the counter is bare of everything but a nice milled soap or fancy lotion and hand soap, add a white shower curtain; fresh, fluffy white towels folded in thirds, and clean white bathroom accessories. You can skip the bathmat, just make sure the floor is spotless.
If your bathroom lighting fixtures are dated, a quick trip to Home Depot or the like for a new light can update the whole room. Also, if your cabinet handles are dated, update those with something fresh. You can also pick up some shiny brass or brushed nickel knobs from the hardware store. (Hint: this also applies to the kitchen!)
Even though we took all of those family photos and distinctive artwork down when we were getting ready to list your house, give some serious thought to replacing some of your wall art with mirrors. They will make each room look lighter and bigger, especially if they face a window or a small collection of house plants. Speaking of walls, scrub your light switch plates or replace them.
Polish those wood floors and store your rugs. You don’t want your pristine rugs to get ruined and you never want to have shabby ones on display. Remove area rugs from the kitchen to create an illusion of more space and showcase that spotless floor.
Set your table with white dishes, sleek silverware, and new looking glassware atop a neutral tablecloth or placemats IF you have a giant table. Leave smaller ones almost bare, though. A bright runner or napkins will liven it up. A vase of fresh flowers will make the room smell great and look pretty and welcoming.
Open all of the doors and windows for an hour or two to let fresh air in and stale air out. Make it easy on yourself and don’t cook “fragrant” food the night before. Also, take out the trash in all rooms.
Remove all of your fridge magnets – even the cute ones or the ones holding up pictures of your grandkids. Clean out the fridge. Scrub it down. They will look in there. Trust me. I’ve seen it. Make sure the outside has no fingerprints or smudges, especially if your appliances are stainless. Don’t forget to give the stove hood and back splash a once over, they get gunky. Give your kitchen cabinets a once over, while you’re at it. You don’t need to organize them, but if there is anything that you’re never, ever going to eat, get rid of it.
Clear off the counters. All food, appliances, pens, notepads, the cute duckies, the canisters, rubber bands, even the pretty bowl of fruit should go. “Appliances” means the coffeemaker and toaster, too. Do it and stop complaining that everyone drinks coffee and eats toast. Put it all away. Keep your houseplants in one corner. Bare counters are good counters. Totally bare, not just shoved to the back to line the wall. Naked counters. The counters should gleam. If you have granite, invest in some granite polish.
Remove your jewelry, valuables, prescription drugs, and anything that would pain you to lose. Unfortunately, not everyone is honest. We wish they were, but we are dealing with the public.
Any other questions on how to prep for your open house? Drop me a line at [email protected]