With the property market shifting rapidly to be a buyer’s marker rather than a seller's, the pressure is now on property vendors to make a stunning first impression.

How you present your property at open can make all the difference to how desirable and competitive your offers to buy are. 

Thanks to reality TV makeover shows, there can be a lot of pressure on homeowners to stage rooms using expensive, wowing effects that are over the top and time-consuming. Rather than interior design showstoppers, most often the very best impressions come not from showing that a property is livable, well cared for, and well maintained.

Signs of obvious wear, tear, and neglect put buyers off. A little bit of time spent removing cobwebs from window sills can help remove hesitation and doubt. 

Knowing your home’s unique features is also important. Buyers will be looking for a property with personality and intrigue, so helping key features stand out will draw attention and increase interest. If you have something no other property offers they will be keen to jump on before missing out.

How to have a successful Open for Inspection

You want to make a great first impression from the start to attract a lot of interest, get buyers in the door and hold their attention. The longer your property sits on the market right now, the higher the interest rates go and the more properties at lower prices come through to eclipse it. 

To get the price you really want, you need to have a number of parties competing for your home. To do that you need to make your home stand out from others on the block and give it that buy-me-now appeal that a new homeowner can't walk away from.

Here are some steps we recommend you walk through to make your open as appealing as possible:

All Repairs and Maintenance

Every little issue will seem like a warning flag to potential buyers. The little niggling issues might be easy to live with or happy to let slide for your tenant but you need to be extra fussy when preparing your home for sale. Issues like cupboard doors not being straight or kitchen cabinet doors needing a coat of fresh, quality paint. Take the time to make these adjustments and bring your property up to its absolute shiny best. If you leave easy-to-fix problems out in the open it shows you don’t care for the home and may have left other (bigger) areas neglected as a result.

Clean Up and Declutter

It’s important to put time and effort into a thorough cleanup. You can save money by hiring equipment like pressure hoses to clean pathways and exterior walls and windows as well as help with bathroom tile grout. You might not be able to see dirt on your windows but you will notice the difference in light and feel when they are cleaned inside and out.

Make sure everything in every room is neat, tidy, and organised with the thought that built-in cupboards and wardrobes will be opened and sheds and spaces behind sheets and down the side of the house will be inspected too.

Too much furniture, even quality furniture will prevent a prospective buyers from seeing themselves in the space. Cut out as much as you can for a clean and simple arrangement that leaves space for those walking through to position their own pieces and set up a life of their own. 

Create Atmosphere

Your home will have a feel to it, take a step back and find what it is and look for ways to enhance the natural atmosphere to its full potential. Small homes can be cosy and snug, and large open areas can have a New York loft appeal. Look for ways to move furniture away from windows to provide more light, clean skylights, and lead windows and oil decks for a new feel. 

Look for colours and textures that are natural, cool, and fresh. Open doors and turn on lights to have a welcoming, large feel.

If you are painting, varnishing or oiling do this as far in advance to your open as possible to avoid any telltale smells that might allude to you covering up problems. The smell is also part of the atmosphere you create which is why subtle scents like candles or baking can help, however, be careful that it doesn't come across too strong and avoid anything that might trigger allergies.

There is a general rule that you need to remove personal details, like family portraits and photos, however, you need to be careful that you don’t take out so much that there is nothing left for those homely touches. You don’t need to altogether remove yourself from the picture but you can make it so the atmosphere is a loving home, rather than “my space”.

Practical furniture is essential

An empty space is great for showing size, but not for demonstrating how a space works or what the real potential is for lifestyle.

Hiring furniture for a short-term period makes a big difference in showing how a space can be used, which can be inspiring and motivating to potential buyers. Hiring and staging furniture is also a way to give your home a more modern feel if your current furniture is bulky or worn. 

Ask friends and family for a loan of their more modern furniture pieces if hiring is too much of a stretch for your budget. In some cases, a real estate agent can provide a professional staging service as part of their property marketing package. It’s in their best interest as well as yours to stage a property well. They’ll take care of it all for you and you pay for the service once the home is purchased.

Styling

While wowing interiors, colours and edgy styles look great on camera for renovation reality TV shows, these over-the-top pieces don’t have much appeal to a wider audience and aren’t practical or expected as part of a usual home. While adding a stylish piece or bold art can add volume and presence, it needs to be subtle and relevant enough to make sense for the overall feel of your home. 

Include outdoor living

The outside of your home is just as important as the inside when it comes to winning over buyers. Entertainment spaces and the use of outdoor areas are high on the wishlist. This is also an area that can be easily overlooked by vendors. It does take time to clean up a yard, weed, water the grass, and get it looking its best but it’s also an area that really counts for overall presentation.

If you can afford it (and need some garden care) a professional landscaper can help turn things around fast and inject some healthy colour and neatness that can not only be appealing, but it also pays off.  Apply all these steps mentioned above to your front and back yards and keep the side areas and tucked away areas clean as well (i.e. behind your garden shed). 

When you have multiple buyers interested in your property they push up the prices and help move your sale along rapidly, giving you a choice of who you sell to and at what price.

Right now, with buyers hesitant and less of a demand for properties as interest rates climb and inflation still bites, it’s important to make a dazzling first impression that gets offers rolling in after the very first open. Even in a tough market properties can sell within a week under fierce competition when the presentation is spot on.