If you are looking to prepare an open house for your lake home, then you need to get a lot of things in order so that the entire process goes through smoothly.
There are lots of people who end up making the wrong decisions and then have an open house for their lake home that doesn’t provide them with the results they expected. So in order to help you avoid those costly errors, here are the top things you should be doing when preparing for an open house.
Repair or Replace the Docks & Decking
It is very important to present a good first impression on your open house and therefore you should get to work on docks & decking by replacing broken boards and decks. You should reapply paint on them, and spruce up the surrounding area to make it more presentable for buyers. It is important that you don’t have any broken boards or decks when the buyers come for the open house.
Clearing the Beach
If you have a beach area you should remove all weeds and rake the area surrounding the beach prior to the showing.
You can also add children’s toys and build a small sand castle in order to entice prospective buyers. This will add a nice touch to the property, while multiple parents are checking out the lake house. A nice clean beach near the lake house will always ensure that the entire property looks enticing to the buyers.
Clean the Boathouse
If you have a boathouse at your lake home, then you should have it cleaned and painted as well.
Make sure that there are no animals residing in the boat house. Also, remove oversized boats from the boathouse, since it will make the boathouse appear smaller and cramped. Have the boat parked outside the boathouse so that the buyers can have a good look inside of it as well.
Staging the Waterfront
The most important thing to do when preparing for an open house is to stage the waterfront properly. This will raise the appeal of the entire lake house.
You should place flower pots on strategic places such as shorefront decks and patios. Then carefully set up lawn furniture and try to create multiple entertainment area, since that will paint a pretty picture in the minds of the buyers. You can even set up a BBQ area. And, if possible, have the waterfront area landscaped by a professional.
Maximize the View
People are very perceptive when they are purchasing property, particularly if it is a waterfront property. Therefore, to increase the odds of having a successful open house you will have to maximize the view from the lake house. Try to remove things that may block the view. Clean all the windows that are facing the water to maximize the view.
Apply for New Permits
If you are hoping to sell your lake house home in the near future then you should apply for any additional permits for the following (if available):
• Perched beaches
• Permanent docks
• Breakwaters
• Boathouses
• Covered boat docks
This will ensure that potential buyers don’t have to face any hassles and will also add value to the listing price of the lake home as well.