THE ULTIMATE HOME SELLERS GUIDE PRESENTS:
Tips for your open house
sell your house on the first weekend
The time has come, you’ve done all the things to get your house ready to sell and now it’s time for your first AND ONLY open house. You can do 1 of 2 things here. You can either just open the door and say come on in, or you can prep your house to make it look its best. We’ve given you some great tips on how to get your house ready to go on the market, and now we’re going to complement it with these professional tips on how to get it ready to sell for your first open house.
Clean clean clean
This goes without saying but you have to clean your home so well that the word “spotless” is used more than once. I mean so clean that a local maid service is going to have to come to film a commercial inside your home promoting their professional deluxe clean.
Get rid of it
Anything that must go, does. I mean anything and everything. Clean out closets to make them look less full, store blankets, put away shoes so they don’t clutter the entryway. If it doesn’t have a staged look to it, then put it away somewhere. The kitty litter box, the puppy toy box, the mail and loose papers, the glass of water beside your bed, and the contact solution you leave on the bathroom sink. THE DISHES! Yes, all of it.
Canvas the neighborhood
If you’re having an open house you need to let everyone in the neighborhood know about it. Put open house signs in front of your house, coffee shops, grocery stores, gyms, anywhere there are people you need to be there with an open house sign.
Have the information handy
Have a printout to distribute to buyers. Some realtors and create packets to give to visitors. HOA docs, the year and warranties of your appliances, the age of the furnace and hot water heater
Do a little staging
When you stage your home, don’t set it up how you live in it now set it up how you would want to live in it if you could start over. Set your home up so it seems more spacious with things nicely put away and clear of anybody’s eyesight.
No trace of pets
Not all people are animal people. Do your best to hide the fact that you have a pet. Put away the kitty litter box, your dogs’ toys, your pet iguanas heat lamp. If it’s pet-related do your best to tuck it away.
Letter to the buyers
This is one of our home seller tips and is probably the best “secret weapon” that other home sellers are not doing. Write a nice letter about why you love this house and the neighborhood and “if it weren’t for your growing family” you would still live there and would never sell it.
Get their information
When you’re getting ready for your open house be sure to put out your sign-in sheet. This will give you the opportunity to reach out to anyone who came to spark a conversation and hopefully answer any questions they may have.
Welcome those nosey neighbors
You know who I’m talking about. Even if you don’t want to, let them in. You never know who your neighbor may tell and a big bonus that is amazing for you and your realtor hosting the open house, they will run into people on their way in and out and tell them why they love the building so much. It’s very rare that someone doesn’t take the opportunity to brag about their house that is similar to the one someone is trying to buy.
Syndicate it
Before you told the neighborhood, now tell the whole world. Get your listing up on chicagodoorstep.com, Zillow, Redfin, you name it. Websites like these get their customs the info quick. Once you put it on the market, boom an open house email or notification message gets sent. As soon as you put it up for an open house, boom the open house email blast gets sent.
