Holding an open house may be one of the best and easiest ways to get prospective buyers into your home, but many homeowners end up with no visitors. If you want good luck for your next open house, so that you can sell and then move on to hiring Jacksonville movers, then pay attention to the following quick and easy tips.
One of the first things you have to do is to place plenty of signs around the neighborhood. Use those signs to draw attention to your event and to direct traffic to your home. Without plenty of these visual reminders, people are likely to be distracted by other signs or the next message they get on their phone. Speaking of the Internet, you can use several sites to list your home, share photos, and even host a virtual open house. If you plan your showing with others in the area, then you have a better chance of getting more people to stop by. Exposure is the goal.
You will, of course, want to spend time de-cluttering your home and touching up any spots that look a little worse for wear. Remove family photos and reduce the amount of personal decoration in the home. You really want prospective buyers to picture themselves living in the rooms. Make sure that the front walk and the door are inviting because this is the first impression that your visitors will make. If you don't like cleaning and yard work, consider paying professionals to do this for you.
Another valuable tip is to increase the amount of light in your home. You can do this by opening up the windows to let the sunlight in. Replace old light bulbs with bright new ones and make sure that stairways and halls are lit well. An open, airy feel is more likely to make a good impression than a dimly lit home.
Schedule your open house to coincide with an upcoming community event, such as neighborhood celebrations, community yard sales, and the grand opening of a new shopping mall. The traffic that those events bring to your neighborhood may veer off to walk through your home.
Many realtors suggest baking some fresh bread so that your home smells inviting to the home buyers who stop in. Take this suggestion a step further and offer your visitors free food. You can keep costs low by serving lemonade and sugar cookies on hot days or warm brownies in the winter. The goal is to create a comfortable feeling that invites your guests to stay longer than a few minutes. If there is a big game on the television, then consider having that playing in the background or show cartoons so that the kids are entertained while the parents walk through your home.
Next, find a place for your pets to stay during the open house. Some people will be put off knowing that there were animals in the home. Even under the best circumstances, pets can become a distraction. Remove toys, food bowls, and other evidence of your pets from the home during the event.
Finally, make sure that any valuables are locked up or removed from your home. It is unfortunate that thieves have posed as home buyers and then taken advantage of the open house to steal from the home owners. Medicines, jewelry, and other valuables should be locked up during the showing.
Follow these tips to enjoy a productive open house and get on to the important task of packing up before Jacksonville movers come to carry you to your new home.