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Home » Family Articles » Tips For A Successful Open House

Tips for a Successful Open House

You're having the jitters. Your open house is tomorrow. And first impressions count!

Help your Tampa Bay Florida real estate agent make it a smashing open house. Help him clinch that sale. The rule of thumb is to prepare well in advance, and not 24 hours before. Twenty-four hours will not be sufficient time for the nitty-gritty that will make or break a public showing. You remember how it was during school. If we crammed, we most likely failed the exam the next day. But when we studied weeks in advance, we felt we knew the subject matter by heart. The same principle applies to open houses. The harder and longer you prepare, the better the results will be. It may even put a few extra thousand dollars in your pocket!

The fact that your house is located in Tampa Bay or in Pinellas County is already half the battle won, because these locations have a lot to offer people looking for a place to live in Florida. Think of the commercial and cultural diversity and other attractions that Tampa Bay and Pinellas County are famous for.

Make a Lasting First Impression â€" most real estate agents agree: a clean house is the # 1 priority. The word "clean", however, does not only mean a house that has been tidied up a few hours earlier, a walkway that was swept and hosed over, or windows that were cleared of dust and dirt. "Clean" means a lot more than that.

Studies have shown that dwellings painted in neutral colors convey a more pleasant and warmer welcome to visitors; they are able to visualize better about how their own personal effects can blend with the colors. Imagine having a wall that's painted fire engine red or bedrooms that look more like an artist's mural because too many psychedelic colors are flooding the eye. Re-painting your house may become a must, but do it a few weeks before, that way the fumes don't linger.

The clutter, please â€" if you don't want your potential buyers to trip just as they're entering the house, eliminate unnecessary furniture and house accessories to allow for more breathing room. If visitors can't move about freely because there are obstructions along the way, chances are they're likely to go somewhere else.

Buyers will want to see the size of the closets, so eliminate the clutter. Leave the clothes and shoes neatly hung, but remove your grandmother's old sewing machine. Remember, closets that look like storage rooms are unattractive. Don't make your guests feel that there are real skeletons in the closet!

Be considerate â€" while dogs and other pets are adorable creatures, they have no place in an open house. One or two of your buyers might not be animal lovers or are allergic to animal hair. Some buyers also know of the damage and dirt these creatures leave on their tracks, so keep them out of the house (leave them with your mother-in-law if she agrees to baby sit them) until the open house is over.

Speaking of your mother-in-law who loves to cook exotic dishes that spew out strange smells, postpone the cooking until the prospective buyers have left. She'll need to be out of the house and so do you. Leave your real estate agent to do what he does best. Potential buyers feel more comfortable when you are not there initially -- they are not ready to meet you yet!

And oh yes, how about some nice, delicate flowers that don't give off a strong smell? This simple gesture will do wonders to liven up your home. Choose different pastel colors to serve as a contrast to the neutral background.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Australian Debt Consolidation

Australian debt consolidation systems work very well both for businesses and individuals, but the right plan is often a bit difficult to find. A debt consolidation loan basically replaces a high interest loan and often gives you the option of combining all your different monthly payments into a single payment that is much easier to manage. A debt consolidation loan is not a permanent solution to your debt problems and should never be seen as such. Debt consolidation loans are meant to enable you to replace high interest with lower interest payment so that you can set your financial life on track again and be able to pay off your debts. As the credit card interest debts are often in the 15% area in Australia, you will notice the benefits of paying off credit card debt with a consolidation loan that may go as low as 5% yearly interest. Many credit card owners that have two or three different cards find it difficult to manage payments as well, and the unified monthly debt consolidation loan takes care of much of these issues. The company which issues the debt consolidation loan will be willing to negotiate with you a monthly or weekly payment for the loan, which will allow for more payment flexibility. One of the most important merits of such a loan is that it diminishes the stress that appears when creditors are constantly calling about your debt and allows you to focus on improving your finances and paying off your debts.

Credit Card Debt Consolidation

The difference between the interest rates of the credit cards and those of the debt consolidation loan may just be the extra breath of air your financial life was looking for. In some cases you can save up to 10% of your interest rates, which is a lot of money when calculated on a yearly basis. Although the general trend for Australian credit cards is to lower interest rates, credit card debt consolidation is still a viable alternative. While low interest rate cards will probably be quite competitive when compared to a credit card debt consolidation, some reward program credit cards also have higher interest. In such cases, debt consolidation loans are a good method of benefiting from the points and rewards that the card offers while also keeping interest rates low. The loan however must not be seen as a perpetual solution for your financial difficulties â€" it should actually enable you to notice gradual improvements in your earnings and spendings balance. In many cases, a credit card debt consolidation loan should be accompanied by a life style change and a sense of determination that will help you pay off your debts soon, but without any major sacrifices.

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