At an open house, buyers will carefully size up a home, either to buy or simply out of curiosity. Here are a few details to pay particular attention to when prepping for an open house:
The front door: This is the first spot buyers see. Is the paint chipped? Are the lighting fixtures covered in spiderwebs? The front door could set the tone for the rest of the house on whether this is a well-kept house or one that lacks maintenance, Elizabeth Lucchesi, a real estate pro with the LizLuke Team with Long & Foster Real Estate in the Washington, D.C., area, told The Washington Post.
The smell: Every home has a scent, whether good or bad. Homeowners can become nose blind to the scent that their home is projecting. But new people coming in will notice.
Maintenance signs: Lucchesi suggests looking at the house carefully for any signs that show it hasn’t been properly maintained. For example, is there peeling paint on the trim outside? Is the house showing its age, such as with the appliances and countertops? Address any needed repairs or maintenance issues.
Plumbing: Visitors are undoubtedly going to open that cabinet under the sink. Is there any evidence of leaking under the sinks? Make sure the plumbing is up to par.
Windows: Are the windows foggy? If so, that’s a giveaway there’s a problem with the sealing. Lucchesi says make sure the windows open and close properly in an older home and that there are no other issues they present.
For the discerning visitor who enters, Lucchesi says buyers sometimes need to be reminded that no house is ever perfect. But it does need to be good enough for them to be happy. See Lucchesi’s full 10-item checklist for prepping for an open house.
Source: “10 Things to Look for at an Open House,” The Washington Post (June 4, 2019)
