Now that you've prepared the outside of the home for the Open House, it's time to make the inside SHINE!
KNOCK, KNOCK!!
4. Vacant Homes. When homes are empty, you may want to place some furniture in the home to give an idea of what furniture looks like...kind of like giving a scale to visitors so they can say, "that is like the size of our bed" or "if they can fit that in here, then our couch will fit too"...get them thinking about how their belongings will live in the home too. If doing this is not possible, maybe provide dimensions (which may be listed in MLS) of each room so they can measure their existing furniture to see if it will work. Most people don't want to have to purchase new furniture along with the new home.
5. Occupied Homes: Many sellers tend to remain in the home until it sells, makes sense, no need to move if you really don't need to right? Everyone's tastes are different...this is SO IMPORTANT. If you have a rustic taste in your home, don't force your taste on someone who is very modern. Neutral is usually better but the definition of this is open to interpretation. Embrace their differences. Now, if there is a puke-green wall in the living room and it just sticks out like a sore thumb and visitors negatively comment on it frequently, you may want to mention that to your sellers and they can decide whether or not to change it, in my past experience, most tend to repaint over the undesired color, but definitely leave the decision to them to save yourself some possible stress between you and your sellers. Some visitors just cannot look past wall color, carpet, furniture, you name it. Your job is to overcome those objections and get them to look at the shape, size, functionality, of the home, get them to visualize THEIR things in place of the existing ones.
Here is an example of a color that may not appeal to some people, but it is my bathroom and I'm not planning on moving so I have no need to change it :) haha
Another trick that some builders and agents will do is go through the home and make signs pointing out features that visitors should pay extra attention to. For example, if the home has a finished basement, you may want to place a sign on the door leading to the basement that says "Finished Basement, take a look!" or something to make them want to go downstairs.
I'VE SEEN THE LIGHT!!
6. Lighting: If you are in a home that tends to be dark, open the blinds, turn on some lights, make the home shine!! If there is a beautiful chandelier in the dining room, turn the lights on. Pendant lights are amazing over an island...they brighten up the area and really draw your eye in...if your eyes are focused on them, you naturally want to walk in and take a closer look. Turn lights on in bathrooms and closets, turn them on where you think a visitor would be drawn to. Master bathroom lights are great, especially in showers (clean ones only, if there is a lot of clutter, don't focus on that area)
Follow Your Nose
7. We used to bake cookies in the models and you'd be amazed at the response. If a home smells
good, you naturally want to find out where it comes from. Be sure they don't get too sidetracked trying to find the smelly stuff, keep them on track and show them the home.
Now, you don't have to mix up a batch of Toll House cookies to make the house smell good, there are some amazing air fresheners out these days, pick up a couple inexpensive ones and keep them on hand. You can also coordinate with the seller on this too. Some people may be sensitive to fragrance so I recommend leaning towards the more subtle, natural fragrances like vanilla, sugar cookies, etc. My personal favorites are the Wallflowers from Bath and Body Works (they have awesome sales on these often).
Place one right by the front door, and 1 upstairs in 2 story homes. For Ranch plans, place one by the front door and toward the back of the home. The scent will go throughout the home and be lovely!
8. MMM, MMM GOOD! Depending on the time of year, it's nice to offer refreshments or a little snack. You'd be amazed at how sellers are open to baking or buying something for people to enjoy while they tour the home. Suggest this to your seller and let them decide of course...that's is the golden rule! The home is still theirs and they will be the best to decide whether or not they want chocolate chips in and around their furniture, you want to take into account the little ones that come along with their parents.
Sometimes having a pitcher of water with lemon (or cucumber is really refreshing and different) available during the warm weather months is best. Provide cups that aren't breakable. By having this, it also allows them to work around the kitchen to see how it feels to them. It's really a test drive and you'd be amazed at how well this goes over. The Kitchen is truly the heart of the home and if it doesn't feel right on a tour, it won't feel right when they move in.
That is all for part 2...the final part of the series will touch on more aspects of the interior of the home! You can always contact me if you want more ideas or some clarification on any of these points! I'm always here to help my fellow Active Rainers!!
Heidi :)
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