5 Ways To Prepare Your Lakeland Fl Home For An Open House
Tips to prepare your home for an open house
Spring is open house season, which means there are a lot of buyers out there looking for Lakeland Fl homes. This also means a lot of sellers will be showcasing their own Lakeland Fl home for sale. You will need to compete for the buyers’ attention by making sure that your home will be in its best possible condition during the open house.
It’s not just enough to make the home as clean as possible. There are some other things you need to do to prepare your home for the open house:
1. Depersonalize. Personal stuff like family photos, awards, trophies, and other sentimental objects can be distracting and your potential buyer might look at it more that the actual home. The buyer must be able to visualize themselves actually living in your home. It would be hard for them to do this if the home has too many personal stuff that has the mark of the previous homeowner in it. The goal is to have your Lakeland Fl home like a blank slate so the potential buyer can imagine where to place their own stuff. If you have pets, make sure they are away from the home not just on the day of the open house, but ideally a few days prior to avoid lingering pet odors.
2. Don’t pile all your clutter in the closet. Resist the urge to shove all your personal stuff and clutter in the closets. Your potential buyer might look inside the closets, too, since they would also want to know in advance if all their own stuff would fit in the closets. They would want to take a look at all available storage spaces and the more available space they see, the more it would look like your Lakeland Fl home has all the available room they need. Ask friends, relatives, or neighbors if you could temporarily store some of your stuff with them. The goal is to make your home look as spacious and free of clutter as possible.
3. Make your home feel warm and inviting. Although you need to depersonalize your home, it still needs to look inhabited. An almost bare home is less appealing to buyers. Stage your home. Add in some scented candles, fresh flowers, or potted indoor plants. Spruce up your living room with brightly colored throw pillows. Put a bowl of fresh fruits on the kitchen counter. Leave some fresh folded towels in the bathroom. Your goal is to show the buyer that your Lakeland Fl home is a great place to live in.
4. Let there be light. Bright and naturally lit homes sell. Make sure your windows are clean from the inside and outside to maximize the sunlight flowing inside the house. Check all your light bulbs to see if they are working and if the light is bright enough to showcase the rooms’ best features. take down heavy drapes that block the sunlight from straming through the windows.
5. Use the open house day as a day off. It’s not a good idea to hover around during your Lakeland Fl home’s open house. Your agent should be in charge of that. But instead of just eating away time at the local coffee shop during the open house, why not take the day off to spend quality time with loved ones? Selling a home and moving is a stressful experience, so reward yourself and your family with a mini-vacation. Give yourself a little reward. Then later on, you could reconnect with your Lakeland Fl agent when he or she has gathered enough feedback on your home.
Although you may not get an offer on the first day of your open house, but it can lead to future showings and eventually, a successful sale.
These tips should be used daily when your home is on the market. Buyers do prefer personal and private showings with their real estate agent. Keeping your home show-ready is a must to achieve top dollars.