FSBO Open House Guide
How to prep your home so buyers actually remember it.
Small, deliberate choices in the days before an open house move the needle more than most sellers expect. Here’s the same prep list I walk my own listings through — free, your turn.
The checklist below is split into three tiers — free, a little money, and bigger spend. You don’t have to do everything in every tier. Most sellers get the biggest jump from finishing all of Tier 1 and then cherry-picking a few items from Tier 2. Tier 3 is for homes that have been sitting, or homes that need to compete with newer-feeling comps in the area.
Before the open house
I’ll need to take promo photos before the open house.
To promote your open house properly — flyer, website, social posts, neighborhood outreach — I need real photos of the home, usually 2–5 days ahead. That means the home should be at “open house ready” level for photo day, not just the day of the event.
Have this dialed in for photo day:
- Beds made, throw pillows up, nightstands cleared
- Counters cleared (kitchen and bathrooms)
- Pets out of frame — and any visible food bowls, beds, or toys put away
- All blinds and curtains open
- Every light on, including lamps and closet lights
- Vehicles out of the driveway and away from the curb in front
- Trash cans tucked out of sight
Tier 1 — Free
Time and effort. No receipts.
Every home gets these. They cost nothing but a Saturday, and they fix the issues buyers actually notice in the first 90 seconds of a showing.
- 01
Deep declutter every flat surface
Counters, nightstands, and coffee tables read as 'space' to buyers. Cluttered = small.
Action steps
- Grab three bins: keep, donate, hide-in-a-closet-for-now
- Clear every horizontal surface to zero
- Add back no more than 3 items per surface, intentionally
What “good” looks like
Kitchen counters hold only a coffee maker and a small bowl of fruit. Nightstands hold a lamp and one book.
- 02
Depersonalize the home
Take down family photos, kids' artwork, religious items, and diplomas. Buyers need to picture themselves living there.
Action steps
- Box up family photos and personal art
- Remove fridge magnets, school papers, and award certificates
- Patch any nail holes you create with white toothpaste or spackle
What “good” looks like
Walls show generic art or are clean and bare. The fridge front is empty. No names visible anywhere in the home.
- 03
Open every blind and turn on every light
Including lamps and closet lights. Bright homes feel bigger, cleaner, and more cared for.
Action steps
- Walk the home 30 minutes before showing time
- Open every blind and curtain fully
- Switch on every overhead, lamp, and closet light
What “good” looks like
A buyer walking in shouldn't have to find a light switch in any room — including the laundry, pantry, and closets.
- 04
Do a nose walk-through
Pets, trash, last night's dinner — you stop smelling your own home. Have a neighbor be honest with you.
Action steps
- Ask a neighbor or friend to walk in cold and tell you what they smell
- Take out all trash, empty the dishwasher, run the disposal with citrus
- Skip plug-ins and heavy candles — they read as 'covering something up'
What “good” looks like
The home smells like nothing. Not flowers, not cookies, not pets — just clean air.
- 05
Wipe fingerprints off touch points
Light switches, door handles, stainless appliances. Buyers notice grime here before they notice anything else.
Action steps
- Microfiber cloth + glass cleaner for stainless and glass
- Magic eraser for light switch plates and door frames
- Hit the front door handle and doorbell last
What “good” looks like
Every switch plate, handle, and stainless surface looks like it did the day it was installed.
- 06
Mow, edge, sweep, pull obvious weeds
The first 10 seconds in the driveway set the tone for the whole showing.
Action steps
- Mow the day before, not the day of (no clippings on shoes)
- Edge the walkway and driveway clean
- Sweep the porch, walkway, and driveway entrance
What “good” looks like
From the curb, the yard looks intentional — clean lines, no stray weeds in the cracks, no toys or hoses in the lawn.
- 07
Clear cars from the driveway and curb
Buyers want to picture their own cars there, and you want them to actually see the house from the street.
Action steps
- Park your vehicles a block away or at a neighbor's
- Ask the household to do the same for the open-house window
- Move trailers, RVs, and boats out of sight if possible
What “good” looks like
Driveway is empty. Curb in front of the house is open. Buyers can pull right up to the address.
- 08
Remove anything that dates the home
Sticky notes, wall calendars, school schedules, sports rosters. It all makes the home feel lived-in by someone else.
Action steps
- Pull every sticky note, magnet, and printed schedule
- Take down wall calendars and chore charts
- Box up team photos, jerseys, and trophies
What “good” looks like
Nothing in the home tells a buyer what year, season, or team you root for.
- 09
Empty trash and hide the cans
Inside and outside. A visible trash can on open-house day is in every photo and every memory.
Action steps
- Empty every interior can the morning of
- Roll the outdoor bins into the garage or behind a fence
- Wipe the lids of any interior cans you leave in place
What “good” looks like
Not a single trash can is visible from inside the home or from the curb.
Tier 2 — Little money
Roughly under $150 total.
Small upgrades that punch above their price. Most of these are a single trip to the hardware store and a couple of hours of work.
- 01
Fresh entry mat
First thing under a buyer's foot. A clean new mat signals the rest of the home was treated the same way.
Action steps
- Buy a simple, neutral, textured mat ($15-30)
- Skip 'WELCOME' fonts or seasonal designs
- Match the scale to the door — wider is usually better
What “good” looks like
A clean charcoal or natural-fiber mat that looks like it belongs at a boutique hotel.
- 02
Clean white bath towels staged
Hotel-style. Real towels go in a drawer for the day.
Action steps
- Buy two sets of plain white towels (~$25/set)
- Wash them once, fold in thirds, drape over the towel bar
- Stash everyday towels in a drawer or hamper
What “good” looks like
Each bathroom has two crisp white towels hanging perfectly even. No frayed edges, no kid hand towels.
- 03
Fresh flowers or greenery on the kitchen island
One arrangement. Anchors the kitchen in every photo and showing.
Action steps
- Grocery store bouquet works fine ($8-15)
- Trim short, use a simple clear vase or pitcher
- Center it on the island or table
What “good” looks like
One tasteful arrangement of greenery or white/green flowers — nothing busy or brightly colored.
- 04
Matching neutral hand soap in every bathroom
Mismatched plastic bottles read as 'unfinished.' Matching bottles read as 'staged.'
Action steps
- Buy 2-3 identical bottles (Method, Mrs. Meyer's, etc.)
- Match scent and color across every bathroom and the kitchen
- Decant if your favorite brand has loud packaging
What “good” looks like
Every sink in the house has the same bottle, same scent, perfectly aligned with a folded hand towel.
- 05
Daylight LED bulbs in dim rooms
Match color temperature throughout the house. Mismatched bulb color is the #1 reason a home photographs poorly.
Action steps
- Pick one color temperature (3000K-3500K is safest)
- Replace every bulb in main rooms to match
- Check by standing in the doorway — no warm/cool mix
What “good” looks like
Stand in the hallway and look into three rooms — every light glows the same color.
- 06
Touch-up paint on baseboards, door frames, entry walls
Sample-size paint from the hardware store. These are the spots buyers stand closest to.
Action steps
- Match existing paint with a chip or photo at the store
- Use a small angled brush, dab don't stroke
- Hit scuffs at switch height, door frames, and corners
What “good” looks like
From a normal standing distance, no scuffs, no roller marks, no obvious touch-up patches.
- 07
Mulch refresh in front beds
Cheap, fast, and resets the front of the home in an afternoon.
Action steps
- Pull weeds and edge the bed lines first
- Add 1-2 inches of dark, natural-color mulch
- Keep mulch off the siding and trunk flares
What “good” looks like
Front beds look like a model home — dark, clean, defined lines, no exposed dirt or weeds.
- 08
Two matching planters at the front door
Frames the entry and tells buyers someone cares about this house.
Action steps
- Buy two simple planters (terra cotta, black, or stone — $20-40 each)
- Plant something easy and full: boxwood, mums, or a small evergreen
- Place them symmetrically on either side of the door
What “good” looks like
A buyer's eye lands on the front door immediately — two matching planters frame it perfectly.
- 09
Spot-clean carpets (or rent a cleaner for a day)
Targets the spots that catch the eye on a walk-through.
Action steps
- Walk the home and tape a sticky note on every visible spot
- Spot treat with a carpet cleaner spray and a clean rag
- Run a vacuum with fresh lines in every room
What “good” looks like
Carpets show fresh vacuum lines and no visible stains in walking paths or doorways.
Tier 3 — Bigger spend
Higher cost, highest impact.
These are the projects worth considering if the home has been sitting on the market, or if the comparable homes nearby feel noticeably more updated than yours.
- 01
Professional house cleaning the day before
Different level than what most of us do ourselves. Especially baseboards, vents, glass, and grout.
Action steps
- Book a deep clean (not a maintenance clean) for the day before
- Call out baseboards, vents, blinds, and inside windows
- Budget $250-450 depending on home size
What “good” looks like
Run a finger along a baseboard or a vent cover — it comes back clean.
- 02
Professional carpet cleaning, whole home
Lifts traffic patterns and odors a rental machine won't touch.
Action steps
- Book truck-mount cleaning, not a portable unit
- Schedule 2-3 days before so carpets are fully dry
- Budget $150-300 for most Juab County homes
What “good” looks like
Traffic lanes between rooms are gone. The home smells neutral, not like cleaner.
- 03
Paint the most-seen room a current neutral
Entry, living room, or primary bedroom. Bold colors shrink rooms in photos.
Action steps
- Pick a safe modern neutral (Agreeable Gray, Repose Gray, Alabaster)
- Paint walls AND trim if the trim is yellowed
- Budget $200-500 DIY, $600-1,200 hired
What “good” looks like
Walk in and the room feels bright, calm, and current — not dated to the year it was last painted.
- 04
Replace dated light fixtures
Entry, dining, and primary bath are the highest-leverage rooms. Boob lights and brass-and-glass age a home fast.
Action steps
- Swap brass-and-glass dome fixtures for matte black or brushed nickel
- Buy fixtures at Lowe's, Home Depot, or Wayfair ($60-150 each)
- Have an electrician install all of them in one visit
What “good” looks like
Every visible fixture in main rooms looks like it was bought in the last 3 years.
- 05
Power-wash siding, driveway, and front walk
One afternoon. Makes the exterior look years newer in photos.
Action steps
- Rent a pressure washer ($60-100/day) or hire it out ($200-400)
- Start with siding, then walks, then driveway
- Avoid pressure-washing under siding seams or roof shingles
What “good” looks like
The driveway is two shades lighter than it was. Siding shows no green algae or dirt streaks.
- 06
Minor landscaping refresh
Sod patches, trimmed shrubs, fresh edging. The yard is the second showing buyers ever have.
Action steps
- Patch dead grass spots with sod or fast-grow seed
- Trim every shrub down a third, even and clean
- Re-cut bed edges with a flat shovel or edger
What “good” looks like
The yard looks intentional — green, tight, and obviously maintained — even if it's not perfect.
- 07
Replace worn cabinet hardware
Kitchen and primary bath. Inexpensive way to modernize without remodeling.
Action steps
- Count knobs and pulls, measure existing hole spacing
- Order matte black or brushed brass in bulk ($2-5 each)
- Swap with a screwdriver in one afternoon
What “good” looks like
Cabinet hardware looks like it was chosen on purpose — same finish, same style, throughout the kitchen and bath.
- 08
Re-grout and re-caulk tubs and showers
Dingy caulk and stained grout are read as 'this home wasn't maintained.'
Action steps
- Cut out old caulk with a utility knife, scrape grout lines
- Re-caulk with white silicone, smooth with a finger and damp rag
- Use a grout pen to brighten tile grout if regrouting isn't worth it
What “good” looks like
Every tub and shower edge shows a clean, bright white caulk line and uniform grout color.
- 09
Light staging consult or a few rented accent pieces
Living room and primary bedroom carry the most weight. You don't need to stage the whole house.
Action steps
- Book a 1-hour consult with a local stager ($100-200)
- Rent only 2-3 accent pieces: a rug, throw pillows, and bedding
- Skip full-room staging unless the home is vacant
What “good” looks like
Living room and primary bedroom feel magazine-ready. The rest of the home is just clean and uncluttered.
How to pick
Start at the top and stop when it stops mattering.
Finish every item in Tier 1 — that’s non-negotiable, and it costs you nothing but time. Then add Tier 2 items in the rooms buyers spend the most time in: kitchen, primary bedroom, primary bath, and the entry.
Only move into Tier 3 if your home has been on the market a while, if your photos aren’t pulling showings, or if the homes you’re competing with have obviously been updated more recently. When you’re not sure, ask. I’ll tell you honestly whether something is worth the spend.
A note on what this can — and can’t — do
None of the steps on this page guarantee that your home will sell, that it will sell faster, or that it will sell for a higher price. They improve presentation and first impressions. The actual outcome of any sale depends on pricing, market conditions, location, buyer demand, financing environment, and a long list of things outside any one person’s control. Treat this as a prep guide, not a promise.
Next step
Ready for the open house itself?
When the day comes, follow the morning-of open house checklist — cleaning, scent, security, lights, pets, and the final walk-out.
