Special offer

What NOT to do at an open house - Seller Tips - Part 1

By
Real Estate Agent

It used to be a hobby of mine to go and stop in at some open houses.  OK, to tell the truth, my husband and I would ALWAYS visit those held open that we could never afford! :>

open house

If you are an unrepresented Seller aka For Sale by Owner, here are some things you probably DON'T want to do at your open house!

  1. DON'T leave a messy home.  Buyers don't want to have to imagine what the house would look like without all the dust bunnies :>  And they will also wonder if there are maintenance problems that might have to be addressed. (paraphrased from Inman News)
  2. DON'T leave any items of value in sight.
  3. DON'T leave pets unattended and roaming free.  Not everyone is a pet lover:> 
  4. While we are on the subject of pets - and other odors that might be offensive, have a friend do the "sniff" test and if there is some noticeable odor; DON'T cover it up with air freshener - try baking something simple (cookie dough cut into slices and baked) just before the open house.  That should make potential Buyers drool! (paraphrased from Inman News
  5. DON'T leave clutter all around.  This would be a great time to get the kids to put their toys away.
  6. DON'T leave clothes hanging around. 
  7. Give your counter tops a "look-see" and evaluate whether they can be cleared a little bit.  You DON'T want the the potential Buyer to think "gee, there's no counter spacer," when in fact there is!

The next sign you want to see in your yard is this one:For Sale - Sold

 

Comments (5)

Ann Cummings
RE/MAX Shoreline - NH and Maine - Portsmouth, NH
Portsmouth NH Real Estate Preferrable Agent

Hi Laurie - these are great tips, not only for FSBOs but for those listed with an agent, too.   For some reason, not all agents prepare their sellers on how to prepare their homes for showings and open houses.  This is a good list to work from.

Ann

Mar 21, 2007 03:56 AM
Penny Province
Province Staged Properties - Denver, CO
Province Staged Properties
Hi Laurie, thanks for the tips and reminders.  You would think a lot of if would just be common sense, but it seems that some sellers have to be reminded of these things.
Mar 21, 2007 06:11 AM
Eileen Landau
BAIRD & WARNER, NAPERVILLE - Naperville, IL
ABR, CRS, e-PRO

Laurie,

that tip sheet was just handed out at our office meeting this morning (3/21/07) with credit going to Ilyce Glink of Inman News.

Mar 21, 2007 07:40 AM
Laurie Furem
Cumming, GA

Eileen,

 I went back and re-read today's Inman News and have amended my blog to incude a reference to the article.  This is gonna sound like a silly question, but if you read something and paraphrase it or a part of it, do you need to reference it?  I knew I read that cookie dough thing somerwhere, but forgot where! DUH

Thanks for the heads up.

 Laurie

Mar 21, 2007 09:07 AM
LLoyd Nichols
Premier Florida Realty of SWFL - Fort Myers, FL
Southwest Florida Homes By The Sea
Great Laurie as I have an open house on saturday.It looks like I have done all the points of your list.Of course we also have to promote the open house.
Mar 27, 2007 02:01 PM