How to Show Your House to Buyers. When you display your property, you want to show it in the best possible way so that potential buyers can envision living there and be excited to buy it. Try to make your property appealing to potential buyers by appealing to all five senses because purchasing a home might be a decision that is based more on emotion than on reason.
In many markets, the buyer’s agent will typically tour a listing without the listed agent present and will anticipate that the seller will have left the premises. However, you will have to personally display the house if you’re selling it “for sale by owner.”
Clean (and Clear) the House
Make sure to thoroughly clean your home before opening the doors for an open house or a showing. Although hiring a cleaning service can ease the burden if you have too much on your plate, it is cheaper to perform the work yourself, especially since you’ll want to keep the house in immaculate condition for as long as you have it on the market.
Eliminate the clutter: Your purchasers shouldn’t be greeted by a room full of papers or other belongings when they enter. Tabletops, counters, and other flat surfaces should be left uncluttered or tastefully decorated (with a vase of flowers, perhaps).
Ceilings and cobwebs: It’s far too simple to let dust and cobwebs accumulate on ceiling fan blades or in disused corners. Be sure to check light fixtures for dead bugs, too.
Walls: Even if you neglect to wash the walls during a busy period, your purchasers will still see grime and handprints.
Floors: Be sure to keep your floors spotless, especially if you have dogs or if they haven’t been updated in a while. To get rid of any odors or leftover filth, steam-clean the carpets. If you have carpeting, vacuum it in one direction and then avoid walking on it for a while—vacuum lines in the plush will indicate proper maintenance without you having to do anything.
A Gracious Welcome
When your property is tidy and free of clutter, it’s time to let potential buyers inside and open the doors. You want the purchasers to picture themselves as owners even though they are just visiting your house. Do everything to prevent them from feeling like strangers you can to make your property a welcoming one.
First impressions: initial impressions Start with your home’s exterior. Take extra care of the landscape leading up to your front entrance, your front porch or stoop, and other exterior features. Make sure the doorway looks appealing, the path is cleanly cleaned, and there are no toys or garden tools lying around. Make sure that any flowers or plants in pots exhibit consistent upkeep. The scene might be prepared with a wreath on the door or neat furnishings on a porch or balcony.
Shoes stay on: Unless you are selling to a customer for whom doing so is required for religious or cultural reasons, don’t expect the buyer to remove their shoes. The customer is a potential customer, not a visitor.
Don’t push: Take your time with the buyers. Inform them that you can take all the time they need. It may take some extra flexibility on your part, but it will be worthwhile if you can get an offer.
Leave a note: Place a bowl of candy or other snacks and a brief letter thanking the buyer for coming to see your house near the front entrance.
Leave the house: You might be tempted to follow the buyers and describe extras, facilities, or features. Instead, leave the house. Not at all. The buyer won’t discuss the house with you or open doors while you’re there. Get out of the house with your family and go for a drive, get a coffee, or go to the park so your potential buyer can unwind and examine.
Set a Comfortable Temperature
Pay close attention to your climate control systems as your objective is to create a welcoming environment. A stuffy home on a hot day or a chilly home on a cold day won’t paint the picture you want buyers to see—it’ll leave them uncomfortable, not to mention wondering whether your heating or cooling systems are in disrepair.
- Pay attention to the weather: Now is not the time to be concerned about your utility bill when showing your home. Turn on the heat if you need to wear a sweater to stay warm. This is one occasion when you’ll want to turn up the thermostat a few degrees if you’re prone to leaving it at sub-Arctic levels. When they depart, you can always lower the volume once more.
- Crank the AC: Similar to the last statement, if it’s hot outside, crank the air conditioner. You want the interior of the house to be cool and inviting so that the buyer will stay longer. After coming inside from the hot or humid outside, they’ll feel rejuvenated. However, avoid going too far and making it too cold, or you’ll have the opposite effect.
Turn the Lights Up
Brighten up your house both inside and out so potential buyers can see all of its charms.
Turn on every light: including the ones in the closet and on the ceiling. Especially at night, make sure the porch light is on. Solar lights along your walkway are also a wonderful touch.
Let the sunshine in: Open all the drapes and pull back all the shades to let in as much light as you can if your performance is during the day. If the viewing is after dark, make the house appear welcoming from the street.
Brighten dark rooms: Place strategically placed lamps in dark spaces to bring light and warmth into the space. If necessary, add another lamp (or two!).
Turn off the TV: since the sound and moving pictures are too distracting. If you’re playing music on a computer, turn off the monitor.
Open doors: should also be left slightly ajar to allow potential buyers to peek inside and inspect the storage area.
Create a Mood
Setting a tone and establishing an ambiance that potential buyers want to be a part of is staging your property for buyers. Set the tone for your home by creating a romantic, tranquil, or energetic atmosphere to highlight its best attributes. Promote the idea of your prospective purchasers enjoying their dream lives in your home.
Use the fireplace effectively: Even though it’s the middle of the summer, start a fire.
Create romance: Place a bottle of champagne and two (clean) champagne glasses on a nearby table.
Enable soft music: You can do the same thing that retailers do, which is to use soft music to make shopping more comfortable. Keep the music appropriate and minimal.
Boost the water features: Fountains are particularly helpful for blocking out loud neighbors or traffic sounds.
Encourage touch: Touch has the ability to elicit strong emotions. Cover chair arms and sofa backs with sensual textiles like silk throws, chunky knit blankets, or velvet wraps.
Use Scent Sparingly
All you should require to maintain a fresh scent in your home is a good scrub.
Put the spray away: Avoid using room sprays or plug-in air fresheners because many people are allergic to artificial fragrances and deodorizers. For the same reason, avoid using perfume or lighting candles.
Use fresh air: Open the windows to let in a breeze and prevent your home from smelling musty when the weather permits. Just be mindful of distracting sounds coming from outside, such as heavy traffic.
Better to be real: Put out snacks if you’re going to simmer spices in water on the stove, a classic home-selling tip, so customers won’t be dissatisfied when they enter the kitchen. Additionally, remember to turn off the heat! After all the water has boiled away, the last thing you want is a charred pot. Instead, if you decide that a customer will be drawn in by the aroma of freshly baked cookies, make sure to actually leave some.
Provide Additional Information
You don’t have much time to leave an impression. You might send professionally printed cards or notes to let them know about any additional information that they might overlook or not be aware of.
Historical details: As an illustration, suppose you have an old chandelier in your dining room, put a card out that discloses its age and other important details.
Safety measures: If the stairs in your basement are steep, you should place a card to the railing warning potential buyers to be careful.
Excluded from sale: When placing a card that reads, “Not included in the sale,” use caution. A buyer will want anything you’re leaving out if you include a note like that. Later, during negotiations, you might be able to use that to your advantage.
Top It Off With Food
Offering food to potential buyers is the best method to get them to remain and take in more of your home’s features. While finger sandwiches, cookies, soft drinks, and bottled water are all acceptable for a lunch, catering is not required. Snack-eating buyers are less quick to leave and may take notice of additional features in your home to offer.
Self-serve: Provide serving utensils if necessary for self-service. Paper materials are acceptable for plates, cups, and napkins.
Simple cleanup: Place a trash can in plain view so that used plates and napkins don’t pile up on the counter before the next screening.
Encourage Buyer Feedback
When trying to sell a house, feedback from visitors can be quite beneficial, especially if they point out something that might be changed quickly before the next buyer comes by. Make sure customers can quickly and anonymously provide feedback; it will be vital as you continue to customize your product, and anonymity increases the likelihood that a potential customer will do so.
Give out writing instruments: Place pens, pre-printed survey cards, or a guest book nearby the goodies for people to sign. Buyers could very likely feel obligated to respond to your request after being fed.
Pose inquiries: You might ask about their general opinions, how your home stacks up against the competition and even their perception of the price. Don’t be too sensitive to their responses. As you improve the way you stage and sell the home, use them as crucial data points.
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