What makes a person or a family decide a home is the perfect for them? Is it all location, location, location? What about price, schools or the neighborhood? Or is it something else; a feeling they get when they walk in the door, a detail they notice or a scent in the air.

open house

Your home, your location, your neighborhood and school district are pre-determined. Yet there is plenty you can do yourself to make sure your open house has that wow factor and captivates would-be buyers. Here are five tips to get you started so that next family will determine your home is the perfect home.

Get clean. It sounds simple, but it's amazing how many homeowners don't clean their homes before an open house. This is one case where lived-in isn't going to cut it. The kitchen and bathrooms should be spotless, cracked tiles should be repaired and any plumbing issues should be addressed. Expect that people will try the sinks and flush the toilets. If you don't feel you can get your home ready on your own, hire a professional cleaning service to do the job for you. The money you spend on the cleaners will be well worth it when your house sells quickly.

Add a fresh sent to the air. Your home should be pleasing to the eye as well as pleasing to the nose. Realtors have recognized the benefits of great smells for years. Best idea…bake chocolate cookies just prior to the open house. Be sure to leave them on the counter for prospective buyers to help themselves.

Time for a makeover. If your home needs a more substantial makeover before it can sell, focus your energy and your money on the most important rooms in the home. Kitchens and master bedrooms sell homes, meaning that a granite counter-top, new appliance or fresh coat of bedroom paint will give you a better chance to sell your home than other projects may allow.

Cut the clutter. Even the cleanest homes still feel messy if there's lots of clutter. Before your open house, adopt a minimalist approach and keep your home as clutter-free as possible. Remember, you want buyers to see the beauty of your home, not simply the items you keep in it.

Start at the curb. Poor curb appeal can put buyers off to your home before they even step foot inside. Make sure your home's outside is every bit as beautiful as the inside. Paint the exterior if you need to, plant flowers in the flower bed and mow the lawn. Buyers should never walk up to your front door already thinking it's a fixer-upper.

An open house provides an excellent opportunity to showcase your home and help buyers fall in love with. And once they do, they're sure to make your current home their future home. (BPT)