An open house is a great opportunity to reach potential buyers, show off your home at its best, and get it sold. If you’re selling real estate in Core San Diego and want your open house to be a success, avoid these 5 mistakes that will send buyers in the other direction.
1. Odors
A lit candle in the bathroom may be pleasant, but potential buyers will be alarmed if you have too many candles lit in the home. The same goes for baking cookies in the kitchen for the pleasant aroma. Buyers will assume you’re trying to hide a bad aroma like pets, mildew, or cigarette smoke. Your home should smell inviting, clean, and fresh without artificial aromas as camouflage. Avoid cooking fish, greasy food, or anything fried while the home is on the market, and remember other people will be able to smell the pet aroma you are accustomed to.
2. Grime
Your home should be in the best possible condition for an open house and the entire time it’s listed. The fastest way to turn buyers off is dirt and grime. Have the carpets, tile, and grout steam-cleaned before showing the home, and go through each room to make sure everything looks clean. Don’t forget easily overlooked areas like the corners of the floor, dust on shelves, and the kitchen sink.
3. Pets
Don’t make the mistake of putting your cat or dog in a bedroom. Find a place for your pets to stay during the open house. Pets on the premises can keep potential buyers from viewing certain areas of the home, and the pets may react badly to having their home filled with strangers. While you may love your dog, some of the people walking through the home will not be dog people. When people see evidence of pets in your home, they assume there’s unseen evidence in the form of soiled carpet and pet aromas. An easy solution is to keep a large plastic container by your front door with a checklist to remember to take any pet items like toys, pet dishes, and cat litter boxes to the car with you when you leave.
4. A Dark, Hot Environment
Don’t forget to turn on all of the lights and open the blinds and window treatments before you leave to let as much natural light into the home as possible. You should also set the thermostat to a comfortable setting so potential buyers aren’t walking into a sweltering, dark space.
5. Too Many Personal Items
You want potential buyers to picture their family in the home, not yours. If your home is cluttered with personal items like family photos, knickknacks, and collectibles, it will be hard for buyers to imagine their own belongings in the space. While you’re depersonalizing the space, make sure you also clean up the clutter. Your closets should be half-full to show buyers there’s room to grow, the bookshelves should be at least one-third empty, and there should be no appliances on the kitchen countertops. Anything you need to use frequently in the kitchen and bathroom can be kept out of sight in boxes in the cabinets.
Before holding your open house, take a look at other listings for condos, penthouses, and lofts in Core San Diego to see how they are marketing their homes. You might notice some other things that will turn buyers away, but you might also gain some tips that will make selling your property easier. For additional tips on holding an open house, get in touch with 92101 Urban Living today at 619-649-0368. ')}