If you want your Open House to be a success, there are a few thinkgs you need to take care of before the people strart coming in.

Put away the dishes, make the beds, vacuum the rugs, clean the bathrooms and maybe even add some flowers and put on the coffee. Your house is now the statement of perfection.

Will this help? Well, little touches and flourishes are nice, but a clean home is a necessity. You might consider when prospects come through they are not necessarily coming to admire your décor (although we’ll come to that later), but they will certainly notice if your home looks as though they interrupted the family in the middle of supper.

People will be looking for lights in each room, especially if it’s in the evening. Improve the look of the room and avoid having your prospects fumble for switches by using table lamps or track lighting. This will portray your rooms better than a bright, overhead light will.

You might also try adding some mirrors to increase the brightness of a room (always a sought after feature). Also clear the fridge of excessive magnets, pictures and notes.

Consider having children and pets staying away with family or friends while prospects are viewing your home. The extra chaos and excitement might be too much for visitors, and if they don’t like pets it’s just best not to throw it in their faces that yours is a pet household.