Open House Suggestions

[ray7694]

First open house and had no interest in three weeks. Hoping someone will come. Any suggestions besided clearning?

TIA!

http://www.cbhoa.com/listing.aspx?mls=2100716

[goodnightmoon]

Just one quick tip I read about and used for my last sale... before leaving, place a drop or two of vanilla extract on the stove burner on low for just a few seconds. It makes the kitchen smell like cookies without doing any work.

There are lots of other general tips too, like turning all lamps and lights on even during the day, removing personal photos, hiding evidence of any pets, etc.

[kerridean]

1. Remove ALL personal photographs both from the wall and the tables. Put artwork up instead. Even frame stuff from magazines if you have to, or borrow art from someone else for awhile.

2. The master bedroom needs sprucing up. People are looking for a "hotel-like" feel these days. Maybe borrow a large lamp for the table, some light window treatment, even a valance, a few more colorful, large pillows for the bed. I like to put a nice wooden tray on the bed with 2 wine glasses and a bottle of wine. You need something beautiful handing above the bed.

3. The basement: the sports theme MAY turn some people off. It would not bother me at all, but our when we sold our home in Columbus, Oh, our agent told us to remove anything that was not Ohio State University related (husband is from Michigan). I am not sure about this but I thought I would throw it out there.

4. Clean until the house SHINES, literally. It looks clean already but clean it again, RIGHT before the OH starts.

5. Write a "letter to the buyer" explaining why you have loved the home. Talk about the great schools, neighbors, amenities. Use a bullet-point format and makes copies.

6. Put "gourmet" chocolate in a bowl on the kitchen table next to your disclosure statements, brochures, and "letter."

We are a military family and have sold 2 homes (both in this terrible economy, one last May), on the first open houses, within a week of listing.

[hollybloom24]

I baked an apple pie for an open house when we were selling our condo. We also put personal pictures away, etc. Our condo was on the market four days.

[crl]

Our real estate agent asked me to get flowers for a couple of rooms and he provided a big bouquet for the dining room. He also lit the candles on the mantel. And for all showings he asked me to open all blinds and turn on all lights.

Catherine

[DrSally]

Turn on all the lights, brighter is better. A centerpiece--apples or flowers.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I know last time you posted a lot of us said the house looked too empty. You need some to make the house look more lived in. Not personal pictures but things like coffee table books, an appliance on the kitchen counter or at least a bowl of fruit, a pile of clean towels on the bathroom vanity (they seem to do that a lot n the home staging shows). It just comes across very sterile in the pictures.

Beth

[boolady]

Originally Posted by SnuggleBuggles

I know last time you posted a lot of us said the house looked too empty. You need some to make the house look more lived in. Not personal pictures but things like coffee table books, an appliance on the kitchen counter or at least a bowl of fruit, a pile of clean towels on the bathroom vanity (they seem to do that a lot n the home staging shows). It just comes across very sterile in the pictures.

Beth

I agree. Your home clearly is neat and tidy, but doesn't look warm in the photos. The fact that it is uncluttered is great, but you need a few things to make it look inviting and like it would be a great place to come home to.

[MamaMolly]

I think your house shows well. It is clean and tidy. The only suggestions I have are totally nit-pickey, so please don't take it the wrong way.

IIWY I'd:
take the air freshener off the bathroom sink and put it under the cabinet for the showing. Maybe put some new decorator candles at the ends or sides of the tub? Either in a row or a cluster of 3. That will give you the nice smell without the ick factor of an air freshener.

ITA with the PP that you need a pretty piece of art on the wall over the master bed. I'd also jazz up the covers with a few throws pillows.

Like I said, totally nit-pickey but I sincerely hope it helps. Fingers crossed! GL!

[tmarie]

Originally Posted by kerridean

1. Remove ALL personal photographs both from the wall and the tables. Put artwork up instead. Even frame stuff from magazines if you have to, or borrow art from someone else for awhile.

2. The master bedroom needs sprucing up. People are looking for a "hotel-like" feel these days. Maybe borrow a large lamp for the table, some light window treatment, even a valance, a few more colorful, large pillows for the bed. I like to put a nice wooden tray on the bed with 2 wine glasses and a bottle of wine. You need something beautiful handing above the bed.

3. The basement: the sports theme MAY turn some people off. It would not bother me at all, but our when we sold our home in Columbus, Oh, our agent told us to remove anything that was not Ohio State University related (husband is from Michigan). I am not sure about this but I thought I would throw it out there.

4. Clean until the house SHINES, literally. It looks clean already but clean it again, RIGHT before the OH starts.

5. Write a "letter to the buyer" explaining why you have loved the home. Talk about the great schools, neighbors, amenities. Use a bullet-point format and makes copies.

6. Put "gourmet" chocolate in a bowl on the kitchen table next to your disclosure statements, brochures, and "letter."

We did all of these things except the chocolate...I like the idea though. I baked refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough an hour before they arrived so the house smelled yummy. We did the letter to the buyer and framed it, leaving it on the kitchen island. Our realtor had a LOT of minor decorative suggestions. For instance, she had me get tie backs or fancy ribbon to tie back the drapes in every room, to make the windows look even bigger. Taking down personal photos was a big one. The master bedroom was made up to look like a hotel room as much as possible. She also had us set the formal dining room table with place settings. It looked so much more inviting, I left it that way for the remainder of the time we lived in that house. We sold our house in 41 days, in a TERRIBLE market, and actually got a great price. I felt all the little touches were worth the effort.