If you’re preparing your home for an open house, just moving around your furniture can feel like a chore. However, the art of transforming a comfortable, well-loved space into one that welcomes a new future often means implementing a new interior design. Following these tips for setting up a dynamic open house can help you create a space that guests simply fall in love with.

Make an Impact From the Entryway

First impressions apply to sales as much as they do relationships. Some buyers only spend a few minutes in a home, but that doesn’t mean they won’t make an offer. If the elevator pitch of your home is good enough, even brief looks can sway feelings. To ensure that attitudes towards the home stay up, focus on a perfect first impression by keeping the entryway well-lit and inviting. Give guests clear direction on where to start by guiding them forward with a runner rug or a coat hanger that also serves to elongate a small foyer.

Keep It Clean, but Lived In

Buyers are looking for problems. It’s their job to find issues that could cost them in the future or to look for any small issue that turns them away. After all, this is a big decision for you both. A clean, minimalist home gives a sense that the property is new, and the openness will make a space feel larger. That said, a few books, a lamp, and some throw pillows also tell buyers that this house has the potential to be their home. By keeping some props and décor that make the property seem lived in, it becomes easier for guests to imagine a life there.

Design With Purpose

Interior design and psychology often cross over each other. The object of changing up a home for an open house is to make buyers truly consider your property as an option—a huge choice that requires a lot of convincing. By mixing modern design and comforting textures, you can capture the sanitary and uncluttered sensibilities of one as well as the cozy, familiar aspects of the other. Each choice you make with décor, color schemes, and furniture should be in the interest of showing a room’s best potential.

After setting up a dynamic open house through interior design, don’t forget a few vital finishing touches. A guided tour gives owners a chance to show off the best features of the home, but open house guests will likely appreciate some distance. Hosts should be sure to greet each guest and have information sheets or a sign-in pad available, but be sure to give potential buyers some breathing room so they can enjoy all your efforts!