One of the many parts that go into selling your Northern Virginia/South Carolina home is holding open houses.  This is how you get potential buyers to view your property, either through direct contact or by holding a buyers open.  The first few weeks a house is on the market are when it will get the most exposure as well.  So, it's important to make as good of an impression as possible.  Here are few tips in preparing for your open house:

Plan Ahead - Choose a day that doesn't conflict with major holidays, local community events or even major sporting events, like Super Bowl Sunday.  Two to four hours is typically a good amount of time to hold an open house in Northern Virginia/South Carolina and Sunday afternoons seem to be the most popular across the country.  However, you can choose a time of day or even day of week that might work better in your community.  For example, hold an open house on a Wednesday or Thursday evening and serve appetizers...like a cocktail party without the alcohol.  Try to avoid rainy days, if possible, because that tends to keep people in their own homes instead of looking at yours.

Staging Your Home - Pack up all non-essential items and store them, preferably in a storage unit away from your Northern Virginia/South Carolina home.  Your garage, attic and/or basement is not off limits to buyers and they WILL look there.  You don't want a bunch of boxes staring them in the face.  This includes your big, bulky furniture.  Less is more, but nothing is worse.  So, don't get rid of everything.  Simply pare it down.

Doggy Day Care - No matter how well behaved they are, pets can become irritable when strangers are invading their territory.  You don't need to remind buyers that animals live on the premises, either.  If you can't afford to put your animals in a professional day care, make arrangements for neighbors, family or friends to pet-sit for the day so that you are free to get your home ready and they are taken care of.

Marketing Materials - Have extra flyers printed highlighting the best your Northern Virginia/South Carolina home has to offer.  Discuss this with your REALTOR® beforehand.  They may have access to better equipment or vendors for a more professional-looking presentation.  You want the buyer to have something in hand to remind them why they want to buy your home.

Clean It Up - Two to three days before the scheduled open house, make sure to give your home a thorough cleaning.  That includes deep cleaning the carpets, steam cleaning the drapes and furniture, clearing the trash, scrubbing the windows (especially where the dogs and cats like to put their noses and children like to run their sticky fingers), wiping down the cabinets and doors and polishing all appliances to a high sheen.  Clean up the garage.  Like I said before, buyers DO look here.  Mow the lawn, trim the shrubs and weed the garden.  Make any touch ups necessary of spots on the walls.  Wash and fluff the bedding.  Lavender scents are always nice in the bedrooms as well as the bathroom.

The Day Of - First thing in the morning, open all the windows to air the house out.  Bake some cookies or arrange other goodies for people to nibble on.  Make sure that anything you provide is easy to carry with them and eat while they are looking around your Northern Virginia/South Carolina home.  Don't forget liquid refreshment as well.  If it's hot, cool the house down about an hour before the open house is scheduled so your guests are nice and comfortable.  Arrange fresh flowers from your garden throughout the house.  Take a tour of your home to make sure you haven't missed anything.

Open houses are part of the ritual of selling a house.  These tips should help you prepare for your open house so you aren't stressed and have a successful outcome.  Make sure to contact me when you decide to sell your Northern Virginia/South Carolina home.  I can help make the process much smoother for you.

Gene Mock, your Northern Virginia, South Carolina, Maryland and Washington DC real estate specialist