5 Ways to Prepare for An Open Home

Selling a home can be a stressful time and hinges on the first time you open your home to prospective buyers. The aesthetic will always be a selling point so we have no choice but to keep everything clean--which is a lot of work! 

Questions to Ask When Opening Your Home to Potential Buyers

Phil Swan, Director of Crawford Real Estate, shares 5 of the best ways you can get your place prepared before scheduling an open home.

Many of these tips are also handy if you’re looking for ways to give your home a revamp.

*Note: this article was written in September 2021. We recommend checking your state’s current advice on open home restrictions in lockdown areas.

1. How would a potential buyer see themselves living in your home?

Buyers can be overwhelmed if the home is not well maintained so keeping the maintenance up to date is really important.

Always remember first impressions go a long way to building a positive experience for potential buyers and we know the more buyers you have interested in the property the better the potential to push the price higher.

I feel buyers look for a nice space that feels homely and airy with lots of natural light and space.

2. What are some quick ways to make your home feel light and airy?

Clean windows and skylights, paint with light or neutral colours, and make sure timber floors have a nice shine to them to reflect the light. Have a scented candle burning to give the home a nice, fresh smell and ensure good ventilation by opening windows for the breeze to flow through the house.

3. Where should decluttering efforts be focused?

Mainly the living areas as it always seems people have lots of bits and pieces lying around. When having an open home, you don’t want people touching your personal items.

Remove some of your furniture and decorative items and see how it looks. When it comes to styling a home, less is often more. You want to make it easy for buyers to imagine what the home will be like with their own furniture in it.

The other area to consider is the bedroom. Freestanding furniture in a bedroom can make a bedroom feel small. Consider removing a toy box or tallboy if the bedrooms are a little cluttered. More and more buyers are wanting good size bedrooms and so de-cluttering will give the impression of a much larger space.

4. How much effort should be made to fix maintenance issues?

Ensure the quick low-cost fixes are done such as leaking taps and toilets, make sure all light bulbs are working, keep carpets and floorboards clean and touch up paint chips.

By doing these small jobs you will take away the negative mindset of people looking at the house and create a positive mood for buyers. I call it the small spend but big return, as you are deleting some potential negativity about the property.

5. Is there anything simple people should think about doing to improve street appeal?

Street appeal is really important. The simple things to do are to have the lawns nicely mown and any garden beds weeded and mulched. Mulching can really tidy up a garden and add lots of street appeal! If you have a front fence and gate, ensure they are in good working order. If there bushes and or trees that are shading the house and making it feel dark and enclosed give them a trim back.

Once again, these tips require a relatively small spend but create a big impact.