10 Spruce-Up Tips in 10 Days. Get More Added Value to Your Home Before You Put it on the Market!!

Getting Ready for the OPEN HOUSE!!!

This is one that I have mixed emotions about.  I've had a lot of sellers that insist on having an open house for their home.  Very rarely, it's how you sell your home.  It's really a tool that the real estate agents typically use to get more clientele.  Regardless, I want to give you some tips on how to make your open house a successful one.

First, make sure your agent is on top of it.  This means that they are sending out invites to their fellow real estate community, including other agents, mortgage bankers and brokers, home inspectors, etc., not to mention their own client base.  YOU also have a responsibility to be proactive in getting the word out about the Open House.  Make sure that everyone knows that your house is on the market, when the Open House is, and what time it will happen.  

Second, make sure that your house is show-place looking, sparkly clean, absolutely perfect both inside and out.  ZERO excuses.  I don't care how tired you are.  How long your week was.  This is completely your responsibility.  

Third, make sure that your agent is bringing snacks and drinks.  This is one of the draws for people to come!  Seriously!!!!  If your agent isn't planning on bringing anything, either fire your agent and find one that will do it right, or make your own snacks.  And don't complain if you make your own snacks.  If you won't find an agent that will do the job right and you refuse to fire them, that's on YOU!  So don't complain if you aren't doing what's necessary as far as holding your agent's feet to the fire!

Finally, LEAVE and let your agent do their job!  It's not comfortable for perspective buyers to come into your home while you're there and openly discuss how they truly feel about your home.  They will say a lot more to the agent (it's even better if your agent has feedback cards for them to fill out) than they will to you.

Make sure that you sit down with your agent, go over the feedback, and do what you can to fix any issues that seem to be cropping up constantly with more than just one or two potential buyers.  (You will not please everyone.)  Take your emotions OUT of what the people are saying, and focus on what you can fix within reason!  Don't worry about what's out of your control.

Good luck and Happy Selling!!