When you’re selling your home, you’re in competition with every other listing in your area to attract potential buyers. One of the more popular ways to do this is by holding an Open House. Of course, if you want to maximize your results, there’s a lot more you can do besides just crossing your fingers and hoping for good weather! The first step is to talk to your Coldwell Banker® real estate professional to find out how to showcase your home to its best advantage. You’ll learn that a great Open House appeals to all the senses. While a listing photo only offers a limited visual, an Open House allows you to present your home using an effective combination of sights, sounds and smells.

•Turn the lights on.  This will make your home look bright and spacious.  A crackling fire burning in the fireplace offers a pleasing sight and sound.

•Play soft music.  Background music adds to a room’s ambience and can actually promote a relaxed conversation.  Just choose something soothing and keep the volume low so your salesperson can be easily heard.

•Fresh scents only.  The best scent to present is the fresh smell of…clean!  Make sure problem areas like ashtrays, shoe trays and litter boxes are kept pristine.  Open the windows and let fresh air circulate through your home.

•Go the extra mile.  You might even decide to have cookies baking or coffee brewing.  These delightful, homey smells will make a welcoming impression.

•De-clutter.  When it comes to showing appeal, less is more. Create a feeling of spaciousness by getting rid of the clutter!  Have a garage sale, empty the closets and give unused items to charity.

•Give your pets the day off.  While they may feel like part of the family to you, pets can be a major distraction to potential buyers.  Consider taking your dog for a walk or leaving the cat with friends for a few hours.

•Protect your valuables.  While your salesperson will take utmost care during showings, it’s best not to risk your more fragile or sentimental treasures to loss or breakage.  Pack them safely away.

•Let your salesperson do the talking.   One of the best things you can do to make your Open House a success is to get out and stay out!  You’ll get better results when visitors feel free to linger and ask very direct questions of your sales representative.  If you’re nearby, buyers feel more constrained and your salesperson may not even get an opportunity to listen to their concerns and offer solutions.  So pack up the dog and the kids and enjoy your day away from home. Trust your Real Estate professional to do their job right.  You’ve set the stage; now leave the selling to the expert!

Of course, these are just general guidelines for a great Open House. Coldwell Banker Complete Real Estate Team members know what homebuyers are looking for, and will be happy to do a walk-through of your home and offer suggestions on how to maximize your home’s buyer appeal.

Is 2014 the year you are planning to buy your first home? It’s always exciting when you’re ready to look at buying a home as opposed to renting. When you decide to take the plunge and purchase a new, or “new-to-you” home, you’re thrilled knowing that it is going to be completely yours; you’ll be able to do exactly what you want with it. You can renovate it completely or paint it in the colors you like. You can get it fitted with the latest appliances or install a custom closet for all those clothes. Still, there are a few things you should keep in mind before you begin to search for your perfect home:

1.Is it within your budget?  Be realistic with what you can afford and think about your long term income. If you get a mortgage based on the incomes of two people and then, one person leaves their job, the other person might have to struggle to make ends meet. Give consideration to what your future employment plans are before buying a home.

2.Is the transportation reliable?  If you’re buying in an urban area, you don’t always need to have a car. In some places, in fact, it might be better if you rely on public transportation to avoid parking hassles and car payments. Make sure you find out what buses, trains etc. come to the neighborhood you’re considering.

3.Are there shops close by?  You might think that you’re ok with driving half an hour to the grocery store if you can have a lot of space in your home. However, you’ll probably regret this decision when you actually have to start getting groceries in your new home. Be practical about what shops, restaurants etc. you need to have close by to suit your lifestyle. It’s always nice to know that you can just pop out to get a few things instead of having to drive or walk a long distance.

4.Are there good schools in the neighborhood?  If you have children, this is obviously an important consideration for you and not something that you can compromise on. Make sure you research the schools, playgrounds and other activities for children in the vicinity before you buy.

5.How does it feel?  A home may seem perfect on paper. Maybe it has all the conveniences you desire but just lacks a certain something you can’t quite put your finger on…It could be a lack of light or maybe the basement is a bit damp. If you really think that there’s something about the house or apartment that could prevent you from being happy in the long run, make sure you don’t ignore your instincts.

Coldwell Banker Complete Real Estate Team members are always ready to help you brainstorm about what you need from your new home. Contact us for more tips on what to look out for before buying your home.