# Presenting Your Home for an Open House

- Link: https://stayathomemum.com.au/lifestyle/home/presenting-home-open-house/
- Published: 2014-06-24T05:00:06+10:00
- Author: Clare Whitfield

 

## _So you’ve decided to sell your home! �It can be very daunting and scary – not to mention keeping a house ‘visitor tidy’ when you have young children is near-on impossible. �_

But to get the very best money you can achieve for your home, you need to present
it in the right light. �Here are the SAHM suggestions on presenting your home for
an open house:

First impressions count so make sure the front of your property is thoroughly clean
and tidy. �Make sure your front gate doesn’t squeak, the paths are clean and the
front door is in good condition. �Orange flowers are apparently good ‘Feng Shui’
and encourage people to part with their money – so add a couple of pots of Marigolds
or similar at your front door or near the front gate (I don’t usually believe in
that stuff – but it seriously worked for me!).

[via GIPHY](http://giphy.com/gifs/disney-pixar-disneypixar-6JgHnt6GRRN3q)

## **Inside your Home:**

 * Open all the [blinds/curtains ](https://stayathomemum.com.au/houseandhome/cleaning-tips/how-to-clean-curtains/)
   to let the natural light in
 * Air your house out for a few hours
 * Bake some bread or biscuits just before an open house, it leaves the best aroma.
   �If you don’t have time to do that, light an oil burner with a tiny amount of
   [lavender oil](https://stayathomemum.com.au/houseandhome/cleaning-tips/cleaning-with-lavender-oil/).
   �Remember less is more.
 * Clean all the walls from grotty hand prints and chocolate etc.
 * If it’s a cool day, place the heater on low, it makes the house feel more homely
 * Pack away all clutter, a house with less clutter looks bigger and more inviting.
 * Nothing beats seeing some beautiful fresh flowers on the kitchen table in a glass
   vase.
 * Vacuum and mop every inch of the house
 * Turn on all the lights and lamps so the house feels again has that warmly feeling
 * Make sure your toilet is�impeccably�clean and has lovely fresh toilet paper.
 * Always helps to clean inside the cupboards as people like to sneak a look
 * Pop all dishes away and even the dishes in the microwave
 * [Clean inside the oven](https://stayathomemum.com.au/houseandhome/kitchen/easy-ways-to-clean-your-oven/)
 * Clean all bench tops
 * Make sure all you windows are nice and clean
 * Clean over your light switches, there is nothing worse than a sticky light switch!

## **Outside your Home:**

    - Rake up any leaves
    - Make sure all spider webs are swept down
    - Always remove your pets and clean up all the doggy doo on the ground
    - Mow the lawns, sweep down the driveway, path ways, and outdoor patio
    - Weed any gardens and trim bushes
    - Just before the inspection, give your plants and lawn a quick wet, it makes
      everything look a lot nicer, brighter and fresher
    - Clean up your garage and garden shed as these are a *man’s place* to look
    - Remove your cars and your pets just before the open home – it makes it look
      more spacious and no one wants someone else’s dog slobbering all over them.

[via GIPHY](http://giphy.com/gifs/pug-dog-licking-cBTuHHvv5iqac)

## **�Other Things You Can Do to Get the Best Price:**

If you’re ultra-serious about selling – here are some serious tips:

 * Remove some furniture so that the house looks as spacious as possible. �Take 
   it to a storage shed (not your own shed – that would be obvious)
 * Furniture looking a bit shabby? �Borrow or hire some furniture to give your house
   the best look. �Sure it’s an added expense, but the extra money you may get will
   make it worthwhile!
 * Spacious is good but bare is not. �Invest in some beautiful pot plants for that
   bare spot that just needs ‘something’.
 * Re-caulk your shower and bath to make your bathroom ‘pop’.
 * Buy some beautiful fluffy towels for the bathroom and a new doona cover to dress
   the room.
 * Take down all family photo’s and put generic photo’s/pictures up. �You want the
   new owners to feel like it’s their home, not yours.
 * Repaint walls that need it.

### _What are your suggestions for staging a home?_

![author avatar](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/
12/clare_whitfield_profile.webp?quality=80&ssl=1)

 Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

 Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical
home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney,
she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school 
age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience
in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

 [See Full Bio](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/) [  ](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/)