1. Clean! Clean! Clean! The property must be clean and should smell fresh when you have your open house. Deep cleaning would be highly recommended. I can recommend you some extra cleaning staff with fresh eyes to help you clean. Often times, your own staff who have worked for many years in your property might not recognize areas which needs extra attention. Fresh eyes to detect all areas which needs extra attention could give you deeper cleaning ability.
2. Get rid of clutter. Show off your homes features by getting rid of your clutter. Make the house as clear and streamlined as possible.
3. Remove or hide personal items. De-personalize your house will allow the potential buyers to be able to imagine themselves in the home much easier.
4. No pets, please. Although they are all precious, your pets should not be seen, smelled, nor heard during the open house.
5. Staging. If you’re living in the house, consider some small touches such as vases of fresh flowers, fresh towels in the bathroom, and a few well-chosen accessories. With furniture, less is often more. Wild-colored walls should be painted neutral, depending on your budget, you may want to paint kitchen cabinets, add new hardware or change faucets.
6. Owner/Seller. Let the Professional take care of your Open House. It is best if Owner/Seller is not present at the Open House.
7. Let there be light and natural breeze. Open up all the windows, curtains and blinds and turn on lights in every room, even on a sunny day, and allow beautiful breeze to lift up your home.
8. Protect your belongings. Remove or lock up any valuables. Your agent cannot be in every room with every prospective buyer at once, so be smart about what you leave out.