10 Ways to Impress Potential Buyers

They say that first impressions last. Not just in dating but in buying a house as well. You only have a couple of hours to impress buyers during the open house and convince them your house is "the one".

With a lot of houses being listed on the market, it is important to know what turns off and what turns on a buyer. Here are some tips to help you out.

1. Curb appeal. Go outside and take a look at your house. Remove everything that doesn't belong there like old furniture or broken chairs. Trim your bushes, mow the lawn, remove dead branches and anything that destroys the view.
2. Clean your front door and lintels. Repaint them and add accessories.
3. Check for leaks all over the house. Dripping water faucets could suggest poor maintenance and this could throw off a potential buyer.
4. Clean out your closets and remove personal items. Organize everything that you need to keep and throw out those that you don't need. You can also donate them to shelters or charity.
5. Check your electrical to make sure that all switches and outlets are working. Replace those that are not working. If you have no skill or time to do it, you can hire an electrician to fix them.
6. Replace dim or non working light bulbs. Do not underestimate the power of correct lighting when it comes to staging your house. A brightly lit home looks much better than a dim one. Good illumination makes your home seem bigger, light and airy.
7. If you have pets, arrange for a temporary shelter for them so they won't intrude during the open house. We know you love your pets and they're part of the family, but you don't want them bouncing around the house when you have visitors, do you? You also have to think of the fact that your visitors might be allergic or scared  of animals.
8. Clean everything that's in your bathroom, especially medicine cabinets. Remove all bottles of pills and medications, as well as toothbrush and other personal belongings. Buyers usually look at all corners of the house and you don't want them finding something personal.
9. Look at the house from the perspective of the buyer. Do you like what you are seeing? Does it make you feel you want to live there? The objective of the open house is for the buyers to get a feel of the home you are selling. Can you imagine yourself living in that house? If yes, then you've done a good job.
10. Ask for a second pair of eyes. You can ask your  realtor to walk through the house and give comments on what else you can do. Your real estate agent has been through a lot of open houses  knows what should and what shouldn't be included in the house.

Once you’ve sorted out everything,  you’re ready to open your house to visitors.