Home Selling Open Day

[NewName54321]

My house is about to go on the market and Estate Agent is running an Open Day in a couple of week's time.

Any tips for presenting the house on the day, please?

make it look lived in but tidy.

eg: if it is a family home, line some of the kids shoes up by the door, hang their coats on pegs if you have them.

have a fruit bowl in the kitchen, small detail but makes it look lived in.

make sure the bed is made, all the obvious stuff like that

all the best x

Thank you. Lived in but tidy helps a lot, and is easier than show home.

What information is needed at this stage, e.g. size of fuel bills?

I wouldn’t put shoes by the door though. That immediately screams not enough storage.

Tidy and clutter free. Things away where possible. Look at things like do you have stuff on the top of kitchen cupboards, loads on kitchen worktops etc - get rid of it. Stick it in boot of car or similar. Likewise in bathrooms, look at where you store stuff & if eg shampoos etc are all out in shower put them away somewhere - save maybe one ‘posh’ bottle. Laundry basket etc away potentially depending on where it is, how it affects space. ‘Nice’ / stylish toys & just a few organised in kids rooms / playroom or wherever...not on floor but eg if you have usually overflowing shelves get rid of the plastic stuff & just keep a few nice ones out.

Be prepared for people to look in wardrobes, cupboards etc so again make them nicely organised & not looking stuffed full.

Beds made (& ironed)...think about having new bedding ready to go for open day morning. Likewise new & matching towels in the bathroom. Open windows make sure it smells really fresh (then close just before viewings if it’s a cold day).

Fruit bowl a nice touch, with ‘nice’ fruit. Also fresh flowers / plants (but nothing massively scented). I even got ‘display’ washing up liquid & hand soap. All those things sell a lifestyle.

We had 2 over asking price offers from our open day (held only 4 days after house went on market) last year by doing all the above. IMO it’s about showing people eg oh look the kids toys can go here without making them think aargh look how full that toy storage is, our things will never fit. It’s also an impression - they are unlikely to think hmm I didn’t see a laundry basket but will notice oh the only place to keep the laundry basket is the corner of that room and there’s no other space.

Good luck!

also, forgot to say, you could make some coffee just before the event, or if you are good at baking then maybe some bread. they both make lovely smells throughout the house that entice the buyer.

We massively decluttered, ironed bedding, put away toiletries, safely stored any important documents/jewellery. Lit good smelling candles for a couple of hours beforehand. Had scrubbed/cleaned the kitchen & fridges and filled with fresh veg etc. Polished taps/radiators. We replaced family pictures with colourful canvases. Cleaned the carpets etc. So the whole house smelt fresh, lots of plants added in. We wanted it to look family friendly, lots of storage, clean and fresh. We had 2 offers by the end of the day.

This is really helpful. I'm in serious declutter mode at the moment. I presume people will expect to see packing boxes in the garage, giving that I am moving house?

Is it better to be there for the Open Day, or just leave the Estate Agent to it? (I'm inclined to want to be well away!)

If you have dog or cat hide their bowl, bedding toys and food and get rid of any animal smells with air freshener (not cloying ones) much as we love our animals and see them as part of the family some people will be put off to see dog/cat paraphernalia

Oh and one of the weird tips I was given was to hide your toiletries, bath mats etc. Basically anything that may strike as too personal or read as clutter at a quick glance.