Top-Notch Property: Tips to Prepare for an Open House

You only get one chance to make a good first impression, and an open house is a moment to make your home shine. Dozens of people will walk through your home, check out the layout, and even peek in your closets to see if it meets their needs. During this time you will want your house to look as amazing as it possibly can. Get your home ready for an open house in a few simple ways.

Clean Everything

Cleaning is the most important thing that you can do before an open house. Sweep and vacuum, mop the floors, clean out the cabinets, get rid of clutter, and spray the house with an air freshener. Some staging experts recommend baking cookies, or another sweet snack to fill the house with the scent of vanilla, which appeals to almost all buyers. When cleaning, make sure that you are clean from top to bottom, removing spiderwebs, dirt, dust, and even the scent of your pets.

Take Care of Pests

Regardless of where you live, the odds are good that you have a few pests scattered around. If you live in the Midwest, and other cooler climates, you might find mice sneaking into your house to escape the winter. Other pests that can gain access to your home include rats, squirrels, bats, and even raccoons. You’ll hear those animals scurrying around inside your walls, find feces left behind, and see signs of their nests.

Do a Walk-Through

You can spend months cleaning and staging your home without getting a single offer. This often occurs because you think your house looks good, but others don’t agree. Before the date of your open house, ask some friends and family to come over and walk through the property. Ask them for an honest opinion about what works, and what doesn’t. You might find that they don’t like the darkness of a specific room, they notice a scent you can’t smell, or they think you have too much clutter. Use their advice to make your home look appealing to potential buyers.

When you can’t afford to work with a staging company, you can still get your home ready for an open house. Cleaning, getting rid of rodents, and asking for advice from those you trust can make your house look appealing to everyone who walks through the door during an open house.

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

Best Ways to Protect Your Home Against Flooding

When a big rainstorm hits your area, there is always the possibility of flooding. Flooding can cause extreme damage to your home that is very expensive to fix. Most home insurance policies also do not cover flood damage, and you have to buy a separate policy. That is why you have to do what it takes to protect your home against flooding. Here are some important steps in making your home floodproof.

Fix Leaks Soon

Do you have any leaks in your house? If the answer is yes, you need to cover them up immediately. If there are leaks on your roof or foundation, water can easily get inside your home and wreak havoc. Do a thorough check around the edge of the roof and gutters to check for any cracks, missing shingles or holes. Another thing you can do is add extra protection for your roof. It is definitely worth spending the extra money to protect your house from flooding. If you install a rubber roof underlayment, water is a lot less likely to get in your house.

Move Your Valuable Items to a Safe Location

It is very important to move your most valuable items to a safe location in your house that is less likely to get flooded. For example, you can move your jewelry, artwork, and photographs up in the attic. If you do this, your most valuable items will not get damaged in the event of a flood.

Close Up Cracks in Your Foundation

If there are cracks in your foundation, you have to close them up soon. You can close them up pretty nicely with masonry caulk, or hydraulic cement. If you take the time to close up cracks in your foundation, you are less likely to experience flooding problems in the basement and around the wood in the base of your home.

Clean Out Your Gutters

When was the last time you cleaned out your gutters? If it has been a while, it is time to get them cleaned. It will not take much time and will be worth the effort. The gutters are a very important part of the home’s drainage system and can reduce the chance of flooding when clear of debris.

If you follow these tips, you will be able to protect your home and possessions against flooding. If you do experience some damage after a flood, you need to call your insurance company right away. If you have a flood policy, you may get compensated for the damaged items. Be sure to take photos of the damage and make a list of the damaged or lost items. If your basement cement is water damaged you may want to call a service master cleaning professional to get residual dampness out and seal against rot.

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields