Preparing for an open house

The sale of a home can be a stressful and busy time for any homeowner which is why it is important to work closely with your registered real estate professional if you are planning an open house.

Your best approach is to ask as many questions as possible about what you need to do to prepare as well as making sure you understand what occurs during an open house.

While not an exhaustive list, here are some examples of questions you might want to ask your real estate agent:

• Will your agent be present during the open house?
• Will attendees of the open house be asked for identification?
• Will all attendees be escorted throughout the home, and will your agent limit the number of individuals in your home at any one time to ensure they are personally escorted?
• Will your agent check all doors, windows, and other access points prior to locking your home at the end of the open house?
• Ask your agent for advice on whether you should allow photographs or videos of your home to be taken by buyers or anyone else.

Some steps you can take to prepare for an open house:

• Remove small valuables from view.
• Relocate fragile items on tables or ledges that might easily be knocked over. 
• Remove medications from all rooms in the home including your medicine cabinet.
• Keep your bills, credit card receipts, and bank statements out of view. You may want to store them with your other valuables.
• Take inventory/pictures of your property and what was stored so you will know quickly if anything is missing.
• Consider removing personal photographs that may be on display.