You have an Open House this weekend. No hiding from the gazing eyes, in your closets, cupboards, bedrooms. It is odd having strangers walk through your home commenting on everything, but you need to sell, you don’t want our house sitting on the market long and you hope you did enough to remove the clutter and make your home inviting.
Areas to Declutter before an open house
In this blog, I’m going to tell you 7 important areas in your home you need decluttered and depersonalized before an Open House.
- 1st area is the Front Yard, as buyers are driving up to your property, they are already assessing what they see. Landscaping is important but you also want to make sure garbage and recycle bins are removed from in front of the house. All potted plants should be at the bottom or sides of the porch. You don’t want potential buyers maneuvering around plants to get into the house. And on a side note, if you prefer, during the winter time you could use lanterns instead of plants, they are so beautiful and add that same inviting touch, add a welcome mat and you’re done!
- 2nd area is the Entryway. There should be nothing beside a welcome mat, and if there is a spot for flowers, I like to use orchids, that would be great too. Remove all the shoes from the entry area and if you have a coat closet, you don’t want it overflowing with coats and shoes, hats, keep minimal stuff in there during the Open House.
- 3rd area is the Hallway, there should be nothing in your hallways besides a runner possibly. You don’t want to distract people as they are walking through your home. When it comes to photos or paintings in a hallway, it really depends on the size and layout of the photos and the width of the hallway, of course. Personally, I advise my clients to not have anything hanging in the hallways during an open house. It should be a clear streamline for people to walk-thru while anticipating the next room.
- 4th area are Closets and Cupboards, yes… potential buyers will be opening your closets and cupboards, they want to see the size and storage space. You don’t need to empty the closets and cupboards before an open house but it does need to look organized and not everything all jammed in there because potential buyers will think there is not enough space or storage in the home.
- 5th area is the kitchen, it’s where a lot of families gather. You want this space to feel open so remove everything off the counter. Put fresh flowers in a vase on the kitchen table or kitchen island. If you have a coffee maker or nice-looking espresso machine that’s already on the counter that’s fine to keep there, it’s not out of place and often does give the kitchen that homey feeling. Now, if you have photos and magnets on your fridge, that should be removed before the open house. You are depersonalizing. And be prepared for people to open your fridge, stove, dishwasher, all appliances that are included in the purchase of the home. They are going to want to see the size and capacity, so keep that in mind.
- 6th area is the bedroom. We already talked about closets, so the next step is to remove everything from on top of the dresser and off the floors and make the bed with neutral bed sheets and comforters, a few accent pillows would be great if you can, buyers will be looking at the size of the bed and how it fits in the room. Remove all family photos from your side table, even photos of your pets. I know they’re the cutest things ever. I think my Lulu is the cutest dog ever, but I can’t have photos of her around during an open house, buyers need to envision their family and pets in the space.
- 7th area is the bathroom, once again we did talk about closets and cupboards earlier, so the next step is make sure there are no toothbrushes or makeup or kids bath toys, hanging out on the counter, sink or floors, if you have a glass shower, I tell clients before the open house remove the shampoos, conditioner, and soap, instead hang clean towels, plug in an air freshener… done!
So there you have it, 7 areas in your home that need to be decluttered and depersonalized before an open house. Of course, this could be a much longer blog with a much longer list. But these are the main areas I would focus on for decluttering before an open house.
Open House Checklist
Also, I created an Open House Checklist which has come in very handy for a lot of my clients. If you’d like a copy, just email me asking for the Seller’s Open House Checklist and I’ll be sure to send you a copy.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog!
