Whether you choose to have an open house or not, showing your house to potential buyers is the important next step once you put your house on the market. Ideally, you should have your listing agent put a lockbox in an accessible location so that other agents can visit with potential buyers at any time. If you don’t feel comfortable with this, the agents can arrange to view your house by appointment–but many buyers may view this as an inconvenience.

Your house only has one chance to make a great first impression on a buyer, so it’s important to stage your house as soon as you decide to sell it. Then you can add last-minute touches whenever you’re expecting a visit from a buyer.

Preparing to Sell a Home

Before you even put your house on the market, you should stage it. Home staging is the process of going through your home and arranging the rooms so they’ll be attractive to a potential buyer. The single most important thing you can do is to give your home a deep cleaning and “de-cluttering.” Bathrooms and kitchens should be sparkling, all wood surfaces should be polished and all surfaces should be clear of clutter. Do the same in your front and back yards–make sure all gardens are free of weeds, tree branches are trimmed and the lawn is freshly mowed.

Next, you’ll need to depersonalize the house. Remember that buyers aren’t looking to purchase your house–they want to purchase their new house. As much as possible, remove any family photos and other personal items that suggest to buyers that the home still belongs to someone else.

Open up the rooms by eliminating extra furniture. Put it in the garage or in storage until the house sells. Too much furniture can make rooms feel cramped and cluttered. Paint the walls and the outside of the home in a neutral color, and take steps to eliminate any odors from the house.

Showing a House During a Home Buyer Visit

Usually, agents will give you a few hours notice before showing your property. Use that time to give the house some extra sparkle. Make all the beds. Lower the lid on the toilet and put fresh towels in the bathrooms. Wipe down all surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom, and make sure all dirty dishes are washed and put away. Open the drapes and all doors to give the home a welcoming feeling, and turn on all the lights. Put a vase full of fresh-cut flowers on a table. If you have a fireplace and it’s cold outside, light a fire.

Ideally, you should not be home during a showing. If you’re there, the buyers may be uncomfortable. So make yourself scarce. And take your pets with you–while you may love them, the buyers may be frightened by them or allergic to animals.