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RayRay13
LIF Infant
Member since 7/14 155 total posts
Name:
RayRay
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What to do before open house...?!?!
I'm coming to you all because I have always received great advice and encouragement from this site. I just signed with my realtor and we will having an open house on Sunday. I AM FREAKING OUT! 1. I work full time and have 2 small children. 2. My husband is from a family of hoarders and tends to 'not' be the neatest person. 3. Our house flooded 2x over the last 7 years that we've been in it and after throwing damaged things out, we tended to "hold on" to whatever we could acquire. (Probably how hoarding starts for a lot of people...) 4. All of our parents moved out of the state and when they did, they left us with way too much stuff - furniture, appliances...etc. This all resulted in a cluttered house. I have been working tirelessly on boxing stuff up and putting it in storage, throwing stuff out and donating things to charity, but I have SO MUCH MORE TO DO. I have to list now because my oldest will be entering Kindergarten in September and I want her starting in the right school - not where we currently are.
To say that I'm freaking out is a huge understatement. What do I do....how do I do it...How perfect does my house need to look?? Any help/advice is GREATLY appreciated.
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Posted 6/6/18 8:32 AM  |
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LuckyStar
LIF Adult
Member since 7/14 7274 total posts
Name:
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What to do before open house...?!?!
I’d get a dumpster and a cleaning service in.
We’re going to be faced with this soon, too and that’s my plan. I’m also making sure any decorative items I buy to spruce the place up are neutral and can come with us when we move.
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| Posted 6/6/18 8:42 AM |
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Funkybutt
LIF Adult
Member since 4/15 3049 total posts
Name:
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What to do before open house...?!?!
Get rid of (ie: store away) as much stuff as possible. I can't tell you how many houses grossed me out b/c they were cluttered or dirty-looking. If you're serious about selling, you'll need to pack anyway so remove everything that you don't need to live a daily life so it's more pleasant for the buyers when they're walking around.
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| Posted 6/6/18 8:43 AM |
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mommy2be716
LIF Adult
Member since 1/16 2921 total posts
Name:
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What to do before open house...?!?!
less is more. hire someone to clean it out or get a bunch of friends to come over to help do so.
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| Posted 6/6/18 8:46 AM |
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LuckyStar
LIF Adult
Member since 7/14 7274 total posts
Name:
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What to do before open house...?!?!
Also, I don’t know how much stuff you have but I had contacted Junk in my trunk and they were pretty reasonable to have people come and clear everything away for you.
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| Posted 6/6/18 8:51 AM |
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Chai77
Brighter days ahead
Member since 4/07 7364 total posts
Name:
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
The best advice came from my realtor. She said rent one of those Go Mini pods and get all of your clutter out and into that. It looks neater with a pod in the driveway than clutter all over your house.
And two- bake cookies or apple pie right before the open house. Makes the house smell great.
My kids were 4 and almost 2 when we put the house on the market too, so I totally get how stressful it is. I boxed stuff like their toys, gear, out of season/extra clothes and dumped it at my parents house. Thankfully they didn't mind and then the stuff was still accessible if we needed it. I kept a few small toys for them at our house.
We had multiple offers after our first open house.
Good luck!
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| Posted 6/6/18 9:07 AM |
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RayRay13
LIF Infant
Member since 7/14 155 total posts
Name:
RayRay
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
Posted by Chai77
The best advice came from my realtor. She said rent one of those Go Mini pods and get all of your clutter out and into that. It looks neater with a pod in the driveway than clutter all over your house.
And two- bake cookies or apple pie right before the open house. Makes the house smell great.
My kids were 4 and almost 2 when we put the house on the market too, so I totally get how stressful it is. I boxed stuff like their toys, gear, out of season/extra clothes and dumped it at my parents house. Thankfully they didn't mind and then the stuff was still accessible if we needed it. I kept a few small toys for them at our house.
We had multiple offers after our first open house.
Good luck!
This is great advice. Thank you. I WISH I had family here that I could dump some boxes off with. Everyone has moved out of state. Maybe I'll invest in a pod for the driveway. Thanks everyone. Keep the pep talks and advice coming!! =) I feel my blood pressure dropping a bit lol!!
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| Posted 6/6/18 9:20 AM |
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MarathonKnitter
HAPPY
Member since 2/07 17374 total posts
Name:
EMBRACING CHANGE
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
my cousin just went through the same thing. oh my goodness was it stressful, so my heart goes out to you.
since you're short on time, i say open your wallet. pay people to get it done.
cleaning service, moving service, dumpster people. whatever it takes to make the space clean and "open." you want people to imagine their stuff in your house and not get bogged down with your stuff.
good luck.
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| Posted 6/6/18 9:31 AM |
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NYCGirl80
I love my kiddies!
Member since 5/11 10413 total posts
Name:
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
We sold our house when the kids were 4 and 2. Some tips...
- Start packing. Whatever you don't need now (table cloths, extra towels, books, etc.) but want to move with you, pack them up. We stacked at least 20 boxes neatly into the garage. It also makes packing to move easier.
- If you have 2 small kids, I assume you have tons of toys. Put all the toys away neatly in one room. If you have a LR and a den, choose one. We cleaned all the toys out of the LR and only left toys in the den.
- Hide things in drawers when you can. People won't go through your desk or dressers, but they will go through closets. Straighten your closets.
I agree that less is better, but it's totally fine for your house to look lived in, just don't leave it a mess!
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| Posted 6/6/18 9:31 AM |
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jlm2008
LIF Adult
Member since 1/10 5092 total posts
Name:
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
Posted by Funkybutt
Get rid of (ie: store away) as much stuff as possible. I can't tell you how many houses grossed me out b/c they were cluttered or dirty-looking. If you're serious about selling, you'll need to pack anyway so remove everything that you don't need to live a daily life so it's more pleasant for the buyers when they're walking around.
This. When I was looking this year I can't tell you how many places I walked out of without even seeing all of it because of clutter and mess.
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| Posted 6/6/18 9:32 AM |
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b2b777
LIF Adult
Member since 9/09 4474 total posts
Name:
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What to do before open house...?!?!
I just had 1800-Got Junk come to my house when i moved out. I had old furniture, appliances, etc to get rid of. They took a whole dumpster full for $790. Worth every penny!
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| Posted 6/6/18 9:54 AM |
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NervousNell
Just another chapter in life..
Member since 11/09 54921 total posts
Name:
..being a mommy and being a wife!
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
And this right here is why I can never move.
I will be buried in the backyard of my current house.
We have too much shit. I could never hide it all away. Much less pack it all. It would take 10 years.
And the thought of having to make my closet neat so people can look in it, gives me massive anxiety.
My closet hasn't been neat in 12 years. I don't even know whats on the floor in there under the piles of clothes....
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| Posted 6/6/18 9:57 AM |
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MaZz
* Lovin my baby girl!!! *
Member since 2/09 6243 total posts
Name:
Gina
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
Hate to tell you this, but you are going to have to get rid of a ton of crap before that open house... buyers are going to run in the other direction if your house is as bad as you are making it out to be... do not have your open house until your place is decluttered and CLEAN!!! Get a dumpster and throw 75% of your stuff out. You’re going to have to do it anyway when you move.
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| Posted 6/6/18 12:02 PM |
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RayRay13
LIF Infant
Member since 7/14 155 total posts
Name:
RayRay
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What to do before open house...?!?!
The house is clean, thankfully. It's not dirty at all. Just cluttered....toys, clothes, books, etc. =(
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| Posted 6/6/18 12:09 PM |
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NYCGirl80
I love my kiddies!
Member since 5/11 10413 total posts
Name:
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
Posted by RayRay13
The house is clean, thankfully. It's not dirty at all. Just cluttered....toys, clothes, books, etc. =(
I'm curious....did they take pics of your house for the listing while it was so cluttered? I think a cluttered house in the pics would deter people from looking or attending the OH.
We packed up a lot before we took the pics so everything was immaculate. We never did an OH, but the house sold in 4 days so we didn't have to keep it neat for too long.
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| Posted 6/6/18 12:16 PM |
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Michi
My Love
Member since 5/05 31600 total posts
Name:
M
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
Posted by RayRay13
The house is clean, thankfully. It's not dirty at all. Just cluttered....toys, clothes, books, etc. =(
Not to be rude but when looking at a house cluttered is jst as bad as dirty. It's impossible for a potential buyer to see the true bones of the house if there is crap all over it. Jst my opinion. Throw out or store stuff but it won't help you in selling if there is stuff everywhere.
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| Posted 6/6/18 12:17 PM |
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lorich
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Member since 6/05 9987 total posts
Name:
Grammie says "Lora Gina"
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
Posted by MaZz
Hate to tell you this, but you are going to have to get rid of a ton of crap before that open house... buyers are going to run in the other direction if your house is as bad as you are making it out to be... do not have your open house until your place is decluttered and CLEAN!!! Get a dumpster and throw 75% of your stuff out. You’re going to have to do it anyway when you move.
THIS - don't kill yourself if it is that bad to get it all done by Sunday - you never will and you'll be miserable.
I would reschedule even giving yourself another week or two and make the entire family pitch in.
Trust me - I was doing this all on my own before our house went on the market and I said right off the bat I need time to get rid of ish.
My realtor would text me asking if I was ready and I was honest - I wasn't.
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| Posted 6/6/18 1:03 PM |
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
Posted by LuckyStar
I’d get a dumpster and a cleaning service in.
We’re going to be faced with this soon, too and that’s my plan. I’m also making sure any decorative items I buy to spruce the place up are neutral and can come with us when we move.
I agree with this get a dumpster and cleaning service and possibly move this open house to a different weekend. If you can’t part with stuff box it all up and put in storage until you go through it
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| Posted 6/6/18 2:19 PM |
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WannaBeAMom11
LIF Adult
Member since 1/11 7391 total posts
Name:
Name
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What to do before open house...?!?!
I would reschedule. We emptied half our house. Most went to storage. I made sure my house was spotless and closets were half empty. It was stressful but our house sold in 24hrs.
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| Posted 6/8/18 11:41 PM |
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KarenK122
The Journey is the Destination
Member since 5/05 4431 total posts
Name:
Karen
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What to do before open house...?!?!
I would postpone. If you have a bad first open house you are losing the buyers that were most interested. The house needs to be neat and most of the stuff out of it. We walked out of so many houses that have clutter and the closets were a mess. While it might not be the case with you, our first thoughts to a messy cluttered house was that either there was not enough storage or they didn't take care of the house. Toys wouldn't bother me as long as they were piled up neatly.
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| Posted 6/9/18 6:23 PM |
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cj7305
=)
Member since 8/05 12296 total posts
Name:
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
Posted by KarenK122
I would postpone. If you have a bad first open house you are losing the buyers that were most interested. The house needs to be neat and most of the stuff out of it. We walked out of so many houses that have clutter and the closets were a mess. While it might not be the case with you, our first thoughts to a messy cluttered house was that either there was not enough storage or they didn't take care of the house. Toys wouldn't bother me as long as they were piled up neatly.
I agree. We moved in December and I literally packed for months before (slowly) We got a pod and put as much as possible in there. If we weren't going to use it any time soon, it got boxed up. As someone who went to a TON of open houses, clutter is an can be deal breaker. If the house looks like someone else's, it is hard for most buyers to envision it as their own. They want a clear, clean space that they can picture themselves in with their stuff. Clutter also gives the feeling of not enough storage. Moving was one of the most taxing things I've ever done BUT in the end it is so worth it. Good luck!
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| Posted 6/9/18 9:34 PM |
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
My only advice would be to minimalize and to take off from work to clean beforehand.
This thread is making me want to purge right now! I totally need to clean nd stop bringing more things into my house!!!
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| Posted 6/9/18 10:22 PM |
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
Ideally, you want the house to be clean and decluttered -- people have to be able to see the "house" (i.e., layout, walls, floors, room size, fixtures, etc.) more than your "stuff."
That being said, the house doesn't need to look like a museum or totally unlived in.
You've gotten some pretty good advice so far - I completely agree with packing up a lot of your stuff now and just living with the essentials. If you are going to be moving anyway, it will help you to get a jump start on things. Even if you don't rent a POD or something, it's far better to have neat stacks of boxes in a garage or basement or spare room than stuff all over the house and closets busting with items. A lot of stuff around can make a house look small and give the impression of lack of storage.
As far as the kids/toys - I'd just recommend trying to confine to one space -- a playroom, a basement, kids' bedrooms - to keep the toys relatively contained. If you have one main living space where the kids play, and there's really nowhere else to stash toys, and/or if the kids aren't good at putting stuff away and toys are always out, then invest in some plastic storage bins or even get a big laundry basket at the dollar store, and then throw everything in there before a showing arrives. You can put the bin/basket in an out of the way place (basement, garage, etc.) and it will be quick to throw everything in there if you don't have a lot of notice before showings.
Regarding the open house - I am always happy to do them, but I don't think they are essential to selling, especially in this market. Motivated, serious buyers often have their own agent and will arrange for private showings. Open houses often attract buyers who are just starting to look and really not ready to make offers, or neighbors or other potential sellers who want to check out the competition. Realtors often like to have open houses because they are a good source of future business for us (we meet a lot of potential buyers/sellers). But if you feel stressed/not ready, then by all means, cancel or postpone.
But - depending on where your home is located and how it's priced, buyers may not be turned off by some clutter. If you need to sell quick, maybe just keep showing/having open houses as you start to clean and declutter. I know in areas by me, demand is so high and inventory is so low that anything and everything is selling quickly. It's a seller's market.
However, for cleaning and decluttering, the open house isn't the be all/end all. You will want the house to look as presentable as possible during showings (not just during a one-time, 2-3 hour open house) and in the photos, as most buyers decide quickly looking at online listings whether or not they are interested in the house.
Your realtor should be able to advise you on how to proceed given your house, your area, your price point, etc.
Good luck!
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| Posted 6/10/18 11:24 AM |
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TTCwithHope
LIF Infant
Member since 4/10 297 total posts
Name:
M
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
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Message edited 6/4/2019 8:37:40 PM.
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| Posted 6/10/18 12:28 PM |
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2BadSoSad
LIF Adult
Member since 8/12 6791 total posts
Name:
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Re: What to do before open house...?!?!
I would also reschedule. Its A LOT of work. We just sold our house and I tend to be pretty neat, hate clutter and purge regularly and it still took me FOREVER to get the house in listing/open house shape. We actually did that all and THEN listed instead of the reverse. Just purge. Room by room. Go in each room, go through everything. THere are three piles that happen, need to keep but STORE out of the house, GARBAGE and need to keep in the house while its listed bc I NEED it to use it. My kids were seriously allowed to pick 5 toys to keep and that was IT. I know you say you need to list NOW but if you list a house that isnt ready, its probably going to take a while to sell where as you wait another week or two and get it ready, itll probably sell much faster so youll make up the time.
Message edited 6/10/2018 10:55:27 PM.
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| Posted 6/10/18 10:52 PM |
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