Open House this weekend - what should I do to make someone want my house??

[MadameCastafiore]

We're not going to be here - is going to be just the estate agent.

Would you prefer if you went to an open house for the sellers to be there??

Would you leave drinks out and maybe a tray of cakes?

Ideas please ladies (and gents)

this is our house.

[Georgimama]

Bloody hell your house is beautiful. I don't think you need to do much tbh, I want it (but sadly I don't have 550K nor do I live in Colchester). Just make sure it looks like the photos when people arrive - that beautifully presented and it will shift I am sure.

[CristinaaarghdellAaarghPizza]

I don't think it matters that you're not there, I don't think it matters about drinks and cakes. Your house is beautiful, it's just a tricky market at the moment.

What are the top three selling points you want your EA to tell potential buyers? Make sure they know. If there are any questions they might have about something that could potentially look dodgy (busy road, field opposite which could be built on obstructing the view, that sort of thing) then make sure they have the answers to those too.

[Georgimama]

I think you shouldn't be there actually - you want people to picture themselves in it, not you. I think the thing now is for owners not to be present during viewings.

[ElderberrySyrup]

Get rid of the giant teddy, it makes the rest of the house look like it is only big enough for dolls.

(joke)

Seriously, wow, that is lovely. Not sure about cakes and drinks, what if people make a mess with them and spoil it for the others? I would probably ask the agent what they thought about that.

[MadameCastafiore]

I think you are right elderberry - giant teddy was an impulse buy from a charity shop that DH and DS bought one saturday morning - is lovely and kids use it as bean bag but takes up a lot of room - may stick beanbag and drums in back of car too and drive it round the block and leave it there as think they do make that room look smaller than it is.

I want the estate agent to harp on about how close we are to an outstanding primary (3 mins walk) and that we are in the catchment (with free bus) to the local outstanding comp!

I want him to mention that we are one of very few houses with parking on the high street (was one of the reasons we bought this house as DS was small then and wouldn't have fancied parking on busy road).

Think would be good for him to say that all rooms have been decorated, carpets replaced and the bathrooms are both less than a year old.

Curtains and white good are to stay as is the dresser in the kitchen as it won;t fit in in the house that we want and without it really cuts down on storage - although we have a pantry with a huge larder and 6 double cupboards in it.

Feel a bit disappointed as everyone I knows says how lovely house is and I think I expected someone to snap it up straight away.

Oh well - will take heed of your comments (keep them coming) and cross fingers, toes and legs!!

[Friendlymum67]

I want your house - it's lovely! Sadly I too do not live in Colchester or have 550K, [hsmile] but echo what others have said, that is you don't need to be there, but also no drinks/food - you don't want spillages etc and they are there to see the house, not for refreshments!

Good luck, tho I can't see why you would have any problem selling it.

[midoriway]

It is a lovely house, and if someone is in the market for that kind of house and it is fairly priced, then they would have to consider it. But you have asked for feedback, so here goes.

I would make the conservatory look a little more inviting. It doesn't look like the kind of place I would want to curl up in with a book on a cold but sunny day, like today. A few more house plants, and a bit more colour would make it look the business.

[Witchathulu]

Yeah, seriously - that is EXACTLY the kind of house DH and I lust after - just have less than half the budget! :o Don't worry about it - it'll sell itself in no time!

[MadameCastafiore]

Right - spillages forgot about that!

Will save me an hours baking if I don't have to leave food for them.

Was going to put ouit lots of vases of fresh flowers - is this the right thing to do or will it look too 'staged'?

[MadameCastafiore]

Midoriway - that's a good idea - at the moment it is where the dog lives - that us why has vile wipe clean sofa in it and normally houses dogs cage.

I will fold cage down and put in garage and maybe put a table and chairs out and a throw and cushions on the sofa - does that sound better?

[midoriway]

Vases of fresh flowers are a perfectly normal thing to put in a lived in house, not stage-y at all, just don't go too elton john on things.

[midoriway]

Bingo, throw cushions, nice rug to soften the look of the couch, think cosy. It may be an oversized dog kennel to you, but to a prospective buyer, it could well be an oasis of comfort on a cold winter day.

[MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll]

I wouldn't need cakes to want your house. You could leave me a tray of poop and I would admire it in that setting.

[MadameCastafiore]

Could be arranged Mumbling - between DH, DS and the dog!!

[witchyhills]

Your house is lovely, really lovely. I want it!
Is the road really busy? I think that could be the only thing putting people off.

Have you had lots of viewings, or is the EA not getting anyone in?

[MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll]

[CMOTdibbler]

What a lovely house !

For the open house I'd do a sheet of FAQs - schools, parking, recent work, items to stay, local amenities so the EA can hand them out.

For the open day, def get rid of teddy, drum kit, plastic storage boxes, put remotes away, and all shampoo etc away in bathrooms. Clean, best bedding on, clean matching towels (but only a couple), some flowers in dining room, conservatory, smelling superfresh and all lamps and lights on.

Maybe a colourful throw on the sofa in the conservatory to make it look a bit cosier ?

[spottypancake]

-Don't stay because they buyers need to imagine themselves living there
-Flowers would be nice but don't put too many vases of them around
-The house looks very nice overall but (at the risk of sounding rude and being very blunt) I don't like the curtains in the bedroom. They seem to take a huge amount of light from the room, so much so that in the EA photo, you can see that the light has had to be put on. Can they be tied back a bit more so that the window can be seen/light can get in?

[witchyhills]

I'd do drinks and bisuits, not cakes, less messy

[MadameCastafiore]

Only 2 viewings so far (in a month).

Road is quite busy during school run times but not scarey traffic rushing past just a bit bunged up because of the zebra crossing being used for the kids crossing (primary not secondary kids).

If you look at the floor plan too we have adjoinig bedrooms - you have to go through DS's to get to DD's and the spare room/office to get to our bedroom! AM sure this would put people off but it is normal in old houses and something you just get used to - wel we have.

[TheLandofGreenGinger]

it is the adjoining rooms that would bugger it for me, I'm afraid - would work nicely now (while my dds are small), but who knows what horrors it might bring int he future? would put me right off.

otherwise, it is lovely - agree with what others have said here re: teddies/storage boxes and the conservatory.

[MadameCastafiore]

Good idea with FAQ sheet - will get DH on to that one.

WIll have a go at looking to see if curtains can be tweaked in bedroom - EA put lights on in every room when he took the pictures.

Will take most of stuff out of toy room I think and put the storage thing from there into the conservatory and put a vase on it and maybe some cook books?? WIll get rid of all toilettries - should I remove the toilet brushes too??

[Idohaveoneofthese]

Did you see the Mary Portas episode on estate agents? She asked the sellers to make a list of the big selling points of their houses - and make sure that the people who were showing people round knew their stuff. She said the sellers should insist that the staff know the house, I would do a print out of what the best features have been for you and then ask for the people who are manning the house on Saturday to come round while you're there and give them your low down on the house.
One thing we did once was to offer a £500 bonus in cash to the person who sold the house.

[MadameCastafiore]

Oh yes I do remember seeing that episode - you are right they really didn;t know their stuff.

Am going to put some info together I think.

Just out luck will spend all that time cleaning and moving things around and no one will come!!

[RedRubyBlue]

Beautiful house and I agree with the other posters.

Lose the cuddly toys and drum kit and make the conservatory more inviting.