1. Protect your floors

Consider the way shoes and boots accumulate all sorts of gunk. One way around this is to place a boot mat in the foyer or even outside the front door and request that all visitors remove their footwear before walking through the home. Another option is to provide shoe covers upon entering the home; many real estate agents prefer this and carry multiple shoe covers with them.

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2. Create neutrality

That can be tough to do when holiday decorations are still up. Take those down, store them in an out-of-the-way place and present your home as it would look after it’s been freshly cleaned. Also, if you have deer antlers from last year’s successful hunt hanging on the wall, or political memorabilia on display, you might want to take them down. Remember: The goal of an open house is not just to have people walk through the home, but to have them picture themselves living in that home. If you have a framed autographed poster in your home office from the days when you campaigned for President Barack Obama, and a potential buyer is wearing a Donald Trump “Make America Great Again” baseball cap, you’re just asking for trouble. 

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3. Rid your home of smells

And, yes, that includes plug-ins that are intended to make the place smell like potpourri or a forest. Other foul odors to expel: strong food smells (garlic, onion, fish, curry), cigar or cigarette smoke, pet smells and perfumes. One way to offset those is with the welcoming smells that come from baking brownies or cookies. Then display the goodies on a kitchen island or dining room table for people to nibble on while they discuss writing an offer with the real estate agent. Complimentary bottled water might help, too. 

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4. Declutter

This is a good idea even if you’re not preparing for an open house—or even moving. But when you are, indeed, having an open house, clutter can be a killer. Again, you want prospective buyers to envision themselves in your home, and that can be challenging when they’re surrounded by knick-knacks and trinkets that mean nothing to them. If you’re going to start packing before your house sells, pack the clutter first (or donate it, sell it or trash it).

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5. Establish a welcoming environment

Open blinds or curtains and turn on lamps. Display a vase of fresh flowers to add dashes of color. And adjust the temperature to make visitors feel comfortable, despite the front door opening and closing on a frequent basis. 

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6. Let the dogs out

If you have pets, take them with you when you leave before the open house. Not only do pets make some potential buyers nervous, but strangers may make the pets uncomfortable, too. It would terrifying for an animal to watch people come in and out of the home and not know them. Scared animals, no matter how normally docile, might bite out of fear, and not all potential buyers know to leave a cute dog alone. Also, be sure to store bowls, beds, leashes and cages. 

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7. Beef up security

Implicit but often overlooked during open house preparation is the simple fact that you are actually letting strangers enter your home when you’re not there. Sure, you can trust your real estate agent, but he or she can’t be in every room at the same time. So it’s best to remove or lock up valuables, as well as prescription medication that might be easily accessed from a medicine cabinet or kitchen counter. It doesn’t hurt to have your agent ask each visitor to sign a logbook if they’re comfortable doing so. That said, good agents are hyper-vigilant and will look out for the safety of your personal items.