To make sure your property attracts buyers instead of scaring them away, we’ve whipped up a list of the absolute must-dos when cleaning for your open home.
Mould is not only unsightly, but it’s unhealthy and unsafe too. Before you have people through your home it’s worth searching for any visual evidence of mould. As if you can spot it, chances are open home-attendees will as well.
Few things put a buyer off more that your home seeming unsafe.
If you do spot anything, even if it’s hidden away, use a mould cleaning solution to remove it completely. After that, it’s not a bad idea to leave windows open for as long as possible before the sale to air your home out and prevent any dampness from creeping back in.
Imagine walking into a home and smelling something funky. Whether it’s a leftover scent from last nights cooking, the old shoes at the door or just a little bit of dampness – it’s likely to put you off buying the home – even if just affects your decision subconsciously.
The fix is as straightforward as you think. Remove the offending smell, then spray an odour eliminator throughout your home. If the odour still lingers, put two caps full of vanilla extract in your oven at 300 degrees for an hour and your entire abode will smell delicious for the duration of the open home.
The third step of the purchase process for any product involves the information search. Here buyers will learn all they can about your home: things like the price, the problems, the square meterage and all the rest.
Emotional decision-making also comes into play during this stage. That’s why you need to depersonalise, so that the property isn’t ‘your home’ but a product that the buyer can imagine their life in, making them more likely to buy.
A survey by the National Association of Realtors revealed that 81 per cent of buyers find it easier to visualise themselves in a home when it’s staged. A further 28 per cent said they were more likely to overlook faults so staging and depersonalising is certainly worthwhile.
Staging and depersonalising doesn’t have to be difficult. While hiring a stager can be a good idea you can do this yourself by removing all family photos, knickknacks, shoes and clothing from sight and leave only items that add to your home’s decor.
Your pets might be the light of your life, but there’s a chance they’ll put buyers off and leave you in the dark. Pop your pets round to your neighbours or the kennel during open homes and clean thoroughly to remove any signs that they were there.
Pet fur or other signs that a pet lives in the home might put some non-animal lovers off, or suggest that the property is damaged in some way causing buyers to look more critically.
Your open home should be a relatively straightforward and fun experience – with these cleaning tips it’ll be a successful one as well.
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