Open Houses: Is the master bedroom the best it can be?

When hosting an open house, what rooms are potential homebuyers most interested?

Chances are, the master bedroom is at the top of their list. It’s where homeowners spend most of their time, so, when your clients are hosting an open house, you want to make sure the master bedroom is perfect. Kristine Graf of My Realty Times has a few easy tips for your homeowners to spruce up their master bedroom to impress potential buyers.

• Make your bed. If they don’t want to make the bed when you get up, that’s fine. But if they are having an open house, they need to have a nice-looking bed with all the right angles and corners.
• Make the bed look better. Suggest they go beyond their normal linens, and choose blankets, sheets, pillowcases, duvets and more that are going to accent the master bedroom. Fluff the pillows and consider talking to an interior designer for tips.
• Create seating. Maybe they don’t usually sit in your master bedroom and write sonnets or ponder the human condition, but make it look as if the bedroom is a place where that could happen with a seating vignette. A plush chair with lamp and a small table is perfect.
• Use neutral paint colors. They should probably stick with this tip throughout the entire house, but it is even more important in the master bedroom. They can add splashes of colors with pillows and rugs.
• Turn on the fan. The ceiling fan revolving on slowest speed can often help prospective buyers relax. However, remind your homeowner to clean the blades to avoid throwing dust everywhere.
• The scent of success is no scent. Remind them not use air fresheners, perfumes, flowers or other strong-smelling items. Instead, the room should smell clean and brand new. A diffuser can be used to create a nearly unnoticed scent.
• Lighting is important. Lights should be on, so that all of the corners of the room are lit. The room will look larger and guests won’t feel as if they have stepped into a dungeon. Use natural light whenever possible.
• Get rid of clutter on night stands. Suggest they move phone chargers, magazines, modern alarm clocks and other clutter, and put vases, old fashioned alarm clocks and a hardback book on there instead.
• Clean the room and do the laundry. The rule to follow here is no dust, no dirt and no laundry in the hamper.
• Organize the closet. The closet may be one of the most important selling factors. Suggest they clean off the top shelf, organize clothing and make sure it is clean and spacious. Buddy Blake of RE/MAX Essential says that adding hanging racks, shelves or drawers could add value to your home. “The closet is a huge selling point,” Blake advises. “The better you can make it look, the more interested the buyer will be in the master bedroom.”
• Less is more with furniture. Too much furniture, or too large of furniture can make a room look crowded, which reduces its size. Recommend they get rid of bigger pieces temporarily or replace needed items with smaller ones for the period of the open house.
• Choose the right art. Art should help the buyer to relax, not bright, gaudy art that will make them do a double take. Let the focus be on the room. No personal pictures though.
• Area rugs add value. If there is hardwood floor in the master bedroom, an area rug gives the room another layer. The rug should come from under the bed, but should not create an island in the bedroom.
• Hide the valuables. They might be proud of their collection and think that the room will look better with their best jewelry being displayed, but that feeling will fade quickly when it turns up missing. Remember, these are strangers that are traipsing through the house, and while most of them probably wouldn’t steal an engagement ring, you can’t be too careful.