The Lawhead Team would like to share a helpful One Cool Thing about preparing your home for an open house:

At an open house, buyers will carefully size up a home. Here are a few details to pay particular attention to when prepping for an open house:

Front Door – Is the paint chipped? Are the lighting fixtures covered in spider webs? The front door sets the tons for the rest of the house on whether it is a well-kept home or one that lacks maintenance.

The Smell – Every home has a scent, whether good or bad. Homeowners can become nose blind to the scent their home is projecting but newcomers will notice.

Plumbing – Visitors are undoubtedly going to open cabinets under sinks. Is there evidence of leaking under the sinks? Make sure the plumbing is up to par. 

Windows – Foggy windows indicate a problem with the sealing. Make sure the windows open and close properly in an older home.

Remember, no house is perfect, but your REALTOR® will help you find a home to meet your dreams and needs and get it ready to show off for an open house!

Source: REALTOR® Magazine

We know buying a house can be overwhelming. The Lawhead Team would like to share these 5 tips from Coldwell Banker to help you get the most out of your next tour at an open house.

1. Take Your Time

Take your time during an open house. This will help you pick up on any recurring noises such as creaks, as well as plane or train traffic, which you may not hear during a quick tour, but may be a deal breaker.

Walk the neighborhood and take note of its general condition. Many homes for sale and boarded up businesses may indicate a neighborhood that is on a downswing. Any information you can glean about the surrounding area will help make your final decision much easier.

2. Tour the Outside

During the open house, walk the perimeter of the home if possible, and note any trees or shrubs that are growing close to foundation walls. Encroaching roots can be an expensive fix down the road. If the yard slopes toward the house, that may mean water is pooling around the foundation.

While foundation cracks are quite common, anything wider than one-third of an inch could mean a structural issue. Take note of the location and try to compare to the interior of the home, if accessible. Roof repairs, window replacements, and general upkeep (or lack thereof) will give helpful clues to the owner’s standpoint on home maintenance.

3. Check for Mold

Mold and water damage can amount to expensive repair bills, and potential health problems, if not addressed. In bathrooms, check for obvious signs of surface mold on bath fixtures, and be attentive to any flex in the bathroom floor or walls that could indicate a water leak out of sight.

If the home has a basement, look for any water stains on unfinished walls or drywall, as well as cracks, bows, or buckles in foundation walls. When all else fails, use your nose to help you find any areas in the home that may be suspect.

4. Look for Pests

While no one wants to consider an infestation of any kind, they do happen, so it’s important to be vigilant about critters that could cause destruction to a home. During the open house check windowsills and exterior entryways for termite wings that have recently been shed or sawdust that could indicate the presence of carpenter ants. And don’t forget the telltale sign of mouse droppings!

5. Sketchy Renovations

Renovated homes can be particularly attractive, but older homes, in particular, can have a host of issues. Notice the location of any walls that have been removed. If it was a load bearing wall, ensuring the renovations were completed correctly will be key to the safety of the structure.

Outdated wiring can be a fire hazard, particularly when a new electrical system has been partially wired into and older existing system. Taking note of whether a home contains cast iron piping or aluminum water supply lines will provide a small sense of any further upgrades that may need to be completed.

Read the entire article here http://blog.coldwellbanker.com/tips-for-buying-a-home-five-potential-pitfalls-to-look-for-at-an-open-house/

The Lawhead Team recently came across this article from the Associated Press regarding the latest trend when hosting an open house – drug abusers stealing prescription medication.

San Diego real estate agents: Open houses fall prey to prescription drug abusers.

By: The Associated Press

SAN DIEGO — San Diego authorities and local real estate agents say prescription drug abusers are preying on open houses and raiding medicine cabinets to feed their addictions.

Law enforcement, a local Realtor association and drug rehabilitation experts announced Tuesday that they have teamed up to launch public service ads on local TV and radio stations to raise awareness about prescription drug abuse and the ways addicts obtain the drugs, including by going to open houses.

The Greater San Diego Association of Realtors plans to provide its 12,000 members plastic bags to collect the prescription drugs at homes.

Officials do not track the cases stemming from open houses but District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said prescription drug cases have risen nearly 85 percent over the past five years in the county.

Read more on the “San Diego real estate agents: Open houses fall prey to prescription drug abusers” article.

Comment on our blog with your answer: What is the number one thing you always make sure to do at an open house?

An open house is a chance to showcase your home to potential home buyers who may have seen your home online and want to take the next step. An open house could potentially seal the deal.

The Lawhead Team would like to share some helpful tips to making sure your home is ready for its Open House.

Check out these tips for hosing an open house:

• Clear clutter. When you have too many appliances on the counters in your kitchen or piles of magazines on every flat surface of your living room or too much furniture in your rooms, it turns buyers off because they’re not able to visualize how they will use the space.
• Hire a cleaning service. Buyers won’t notice if your home is spotlessly clean, but they will notice if it isn’t. A cleaning service tackles all those dusty places you might forget: baseboards, tops of picture frames, ceiling fans. A neat and clean home is more attractive to potential homeowners especially during an open house.
• Remove family photos. Buyers need to see a neutral canvas where they can put down their roots instead of viewing your family tree.
• Neutralize odors. Often, you get used to the smells of your home. Ask your real estate professional or a friend for a nose check. Shampoo your carpets before the open house, and if you have pets, give them baths and make sure litter boxes are clean.
• Make repairs. Buyers are looking for the imperfections in your home, so now’s the time to fix that leaky faucet or slow-running drain, replace broken window panes and replace burned out light bulbs. These are noticeable maintenance projects that must be tackled before the open house.
• Buy new towels. Spruce up your kitchen and bathroom for your guests with fresh and decorative linens for the open house.
• Set the table. Stage your dining room table for a nice meal to encourage buyers to imagine what it would be like to entertain in the house. Your best china and a new neutral tablecloth with matching napkins will help with the visualization.
• Enhance curb appeal. Trim your lawn, weed your beds and prune your shrubs for your open house. These small landscaping tasks make a world of difference when trying to make your home sell.
• Organize cabinets and drawers. Storage space is a vital selling point of any property. More is more when it comes to the nooks and crannies of where to put belongings. Cluttered linen closets, kitchen cabinets and bedroom closets make it appear that your home doesn’t have enough storage. Solve this issue by streamlining and organizing all these spaces for your open house.
• Leave. Buyers will feel more comfortable asking questions of your agent at your open house if you’re not hovering in the background. Your Realtor can highlight the positive features of your home without bias. Occupy yourself away from home for a few hours. And if you have pets, take them with you. Some buyers might not feel comfortable around your four-legged friends or might have allergies.