Think carefully about which order you want to show the rooms – consider what will reveal the house to its best advantage, and leave any potential problem areas until last. Walk the buyer through once without giving them too much detail; point out only the positives as you go. Think about what made you buy the house and tell them about it.
After that, invite them to have a look around on their own and tell them it’s OK to take their time, open cupboards and so on. It’s a good idea to make yourself scarce by going outside, next door or onto the roof so that they feel less intimidated and will spend longer in your home. Statistics suggest that interested buyers spend about 20 minutes in a property they like, but much less if the owner is hovering around. Tell them where you’ll be when they’ve finished looking so that they can ask any questions. And get your scheduling right; you don’t want buyers tripping over each other unless you’re running an open house.
You might want to incorporate these little tricks.
1. If it’s chilly outside, make sure the heaters are on so the house feels cosy. Light a fire if that’s an option.
2. In Saharan temperatures, you should have the Air conditioning going. If you don’t have A/C, rent a few mobile units if you are trying to sell in summer.
3. Let in lots of light during the day and turn on all the lights in the evening. If you have rooms that still feel dark, purchase additional lamps.
4. Keep blinds halfway down if one of your rooms has an unattractive view.
5. Turn off the TV and put on some music with broad appeal and no vocals.
6. You might consider serving snacks. If buyers are eating, they will linger and feel more at home.
7. Remove personal photos and anything that suggests your political allegiances.
