Best foot forward for open home

THEREare some tricks to ensuring you have a successful open house when you decide to sell.

The first is to knowwho is coming through.

Midweek inspections are usually attended by a single person ticking off the boxes before the weekend blitz.

They’ll check a lot of properties out and bring their partner back for another inspection at the weekend.

So if you see them for a second time with partner in tow, you know they’re close to being hooked.

Make sure your home is being presented in its best light.

Try to pick the quietest time in your street for the open. Avoid the Saturday peak hours of kids sports if you live close to a ground, or a shopping centre which gets really busy after 10am as the parking will be tough.

If your neighbour’s kid has band practice in the garage at a certain time each week, don’t have any kind of open house around it. Good street appeal will always win over the masses. Good signage on the agents part will direct the people in, and itmay even bring in a few passers bywhojust happened to be in the area and were impressed with your neighbourhood.

Natural light is always going to be something potential buyers are curious about.

Pick a time when the light is at its best and only show then. Awnings should always be pulled up even if they haven’t been moved in a while.

If they look grubby or torn, pull them down and allow asmuchlight as possible to hit the house.

Neighbors will always sticky beak, so consider holding an open house just for them so the agent can focus on the really interested parties when they come through.

Pets can be tricky one, some people love them – some don’t. Take your dog out for the morning during the open house times. They’ll be more than likely to bark and detract from the house if they are tied up.

Store bowls, toys and sleeping equipment away. If you have a cat, ask a neighbour to take care of it for a few hours or take them in a cage. Birds, mice or other exotic pets