How to Prepare Your Home for an Open House

If you’re looking to sell you home, the term spring cleaning is going to take on a whole new meaning for you. A neat, orderly and neutral home will make the best impression on potential buyers. Remember, you don’t just want to make your home inviting, you want to sell it, and that requires a little more than just a good dusting and mopping (but by all means, do those too). Here are some tips for how to prepare your home for an open house.

Moving furniture out of rooms will make them appear more spacious.

Start Making Room Rent a storage unit or borrow some space in a friend or neighbor’s garage to store extraneous furniture, knickknacks and clutter. Leaving just enough items in each room so viewers understand its purpose will make the house appear more spacious. Remove leaves from the dining room table, books from the bookshelves, family photos and other items that personalize the home, and take all items off the kitchen counters—you’ll have to pack that stuff up eventually anyway. Buyers are going to snoop, so organize all cabinets and closets so they can see your home has been well cared for and organized. Also, be sure to remove anything you plan on taking with you to your next home, like the chandelier in the dining room that has been in your family for four generations, for example. If buyers see things in the house they can’t have, they might fancy keeping it. If they don’t see it, they won’t want it.

Buff and Fix Make sure that your house sparkles and all minor repairs are taken care of. Scour every inch of the kitchen and bathroom, vacuum cobwebs from the corners, wash the inside and outside of the windows, wipe down mirrors, clean out the fridge, wax the floors and re-caulk the showers, tubs and sink. Also be sure to fix things like cracked floor and counter tiles, holes in the wall, leaking faucets, burned-out lightbulbs, and doors that don’t close or drawers that jam. Also light a candle to make sure your home has a inviting scent.

Make sure your home looks good from the curb.

Curb Check First impressions are everything. Stand outside your house and make sure it’s looking as good as the inside. You might want to grab a home wash hose attachment from the local hardware store and give the outside of your house a rinse. Clean the gutters, mow the lawn and clean the sidewalk. Be sure the numbers on your house are readable from the street and the front door has a nice paint job.

If you’re looking for a new home, check out 457 E. Street Road in Kennett Square and 810 Mount Moro Road in Villanova.