10 Tips to Prepare Your Home for an Open House

The pandemic changed the nature of home buying for a couple of years. Nearly half of all homes were bought sight unseen. But if today’s buyer prefers a return to tradition, they will likely traipse through your home during an open house.

Holding an open house is a great way to get many potential buyers through the door and show off your picture-perfect home. Before they set foot inside, you must ensure your home is ready to be seen. Buyers need to envision how they’ll use the available space, which staging your home so that it looks inviting—but not too lived-in.

Here are 10 solid tips to make sure your home shines in an open house.

1. Clear away the clutter

Buyers get turned off when you have too many appliances on the kitchen counters, piles of magazines on every flat surface of the living room, or too much furniture.

The clutter makes it hard for visitors to picture their stuff in your space. How to remedy this situation? Start packing!

You want to move anyway, so now’s a good time to pack up anything that you don’t need in the short-term and put those surplus items in storage. That includes furniture—you might want to store a few of the larger items, like a sectional couch, while your home’s on the market.

2. Hire a cleaning service

Buyers won’t notice if your home is spotlessly clean, but they will notice if it isn’t.

A cleaning service tackles all those dusty places you might forget: baseboards, tops of picture frames, ceiling fans. If a cleaning service isn’t within your budget, make sure to follow our guide to cleaning your house.

3. Remove family photos

Yes, your children are stunning, and your animals are so cute!

But buyers need to see a neutral field where they can put down their roots instead of viewing your family tree.

4. Neutralize odors

You get used to the smells of your home. Ask your real estate professional or a friend for a nose check.

Shampoo your carpets before an open house. If you have pets, give them baths and make sure litter boxes are clean.

5. Perform repairs

Like it or not, potential buyers are always on the hunt for imperfections. Their nit-picky nature may drive you crazy, so ward off their criticisms by taking care of any fixable issues in your home.

Now’s the time to fix that leaky faucet or slow-running drain, and replace broken windowpanes and burned-out light bulbs. These are noticeable maintenance problems that keen-eyed buyers will spot.

6. Purchase new towels

Spruce up your kitchen and bathroom for your guests with plush linens.

The visual appeal of making your bathroom appear like a spa and your kitchen look like an inviting place for a family to hang out can go a long way with buyers.

7. Set the table

Stage your dining room table for a nice meal to encourage buyers to imagine what it would be like to entertain in the house. Your best china and a new neutral tablecloth with matching napkins will help with the visualization.

8. Enhance curb appeal

Trim your lawn, weed your beds, and prune your shrubs. These small landscaping tasks make a world of difference to your home’s first impression.

9. Organize cabinets and drawers

Storage space is a vital selling point of any property. More is more when it comes to nooks and crannies, cabinets, and closets. Cluttered linen closets, kitchen cabinets, and bedroom closets make it appear that your home doesn’t have enough storage. We guarantee a buyer will be peering inside any doors, so make sure you don’t overstuff.

10. Get the heck out

Buyers will feel more comfortable asking questions of your agent if you’re not hovering in the background.

Your real estate agent can highlight the positive features of your home without bias. So, take a hike for a few hours, and take your pets with you. Some buyers might not feel comfortable around your four-legged friends or might have allergies.

Article originally appeared on Realtor.com.