With the New Year upon us, we are in the midst of the typical seasonal rejuvenation of the real estate market. Many sellers chose to sell at this period of the year since it allows them one last chance to enjoy their homes during the holidays before they can hopefully secure the highest price within a short amount of time.
For many home sellers, the open house is a major part of the home selling process, allowing them to showcase their home to potential buyers by highlighting some of the best features, as well as downplaying some of the less appealing features.
Here are a few helpful tips for creating the perfect open house experience:
• Though the ultimate aim of an open house is selling the home, many home sellers forget that it is important to treat the occasion as an opportunity to entertain. This will create a warmer environment within the home and will put potential buyers at ease and hopefully in a better mood to consider buying the home.
• First impressions are also a key element of the open house experience. It has even been shown from studies that typically, home buyers at open houses decide whether or not to buy the property within just the first few minutes of their visit. With this fact in mind it is crucial to create an impactful first impression.
• To add some instant color and a sense of freshness to the entry way you may consider putting out a bowl of apples or other fruit like lemons, limes or even artichokes. Or you can go with a slightly more aromatic addition of a vase of flowers in a fresh cut bouquet or even just placed in decorative water pitchers if you don’t have any vases.
• For the living room area you, can easily uplift the space with some affordable throw pillows or even make your own throw pillows from scarves or other materials around the house. However, you want to make sure that you’re creating a positive impact.
• Many charming open houses also feature excellent centerpieces, whether it’s a collection of elegant candles on the coffee or dining room table or more nature oriented with some succulents amongst sand and moss in a glass jar.
Michael Bain is an analyst for New Home Source
