By: Anthony Moretti | My Tampa Bay Broker | January 22, 2022
It’s every homeowner’s pride and joy to receive guests in their house. This is your chance to polish off your cooking skills, be the perfect host, and show off your home in the best possible light. Whether you’re hosting family and friends or prepping your property for an open house, it becomes even more important for your home to get the makeover of a lifetime.
Prepping your home is just as important as prepping the menu, so don’t skip any steps. From fixing small damage to deep cleaning those hidden corners, to creating welcoming guest rooms and making sure there’s entertainment for everyone, prepping your home for guests is serious business and starts earlier than you think.
Give Your Home A Deep Clean
Of course, the very first thing that needs to be done is a thorough cleaning job. No matter how clean and tidy you keep your home, there is a certain disarray that builds up during the year, so you want to really inspect all corners of your house and do a deep clean.
Starting with the kitchen and bathrooms and continuing with common rooms, shared spaces, and bedrooms, every little pocket should be clean and neat. If any of your spaces are cluttered, now is the time to get ruthless with what you need to toss, what you’re keeping, and how you can organize everything better.
Think about spaces that are going to see a lot of traffic and heavy use, in particular – your entryway, your bathrooms, the living room, the dining room – are they ready for multiple people? Are they uncomfortable to access? Put away anything that can get tripped over or broken.
Fix Potential Problems
If you’ve got a few weeks to go, then you have just about enough time to make some bigger upgrades. Is the shower in the guest bathroom barely dripping? Is there loose tiling? Is your floor damaged anywhere? It may seem like a strange time for home renovations, but if you’re selling, they are all things that will add to the value of the property.
So even if you invest in a new refrigerator with enough space to store all that food, or you’re replacing the floors, or updating the tiling, these are all smart changes that will generate a good return on investment. If you’re just hosting, you’re creating the best experience for your guests.
Handle The Small, Cosmetic Details
You know all those little annoying bits in your home that are broken or imperfect? A cracked wall, a loose step on the stairs, a chip on the banister? Now is the perfect time to get all those little things fixed. It doesn’t require a major investment, but it makes a big difference in the way your home looks.
Perhaps this may seem like overkill, but if you really want to make a good impression, don’t hesitate to give your home a spruce. A fresh coat of paint can change the entire demeanor of a room, as well as make the outside seem brighter and more appealing.
Cozy Up Your Home
Welcoming people into your home means you’ve got the responsibility to make them feel amazing. The easiest way to do that is by creating a haven of comfort. You want everyone to feel cozy, comfortable, and at ease, so start by adding lots of pillows and blankets on your sofas and chairs so they’re always within reach.
Don’t forget about the smaller details – scented candles can change the entire demeanor of a space and create a warm atmosphere before you even step in. Not only does the light transform the space, but a warm, cozy scent instantly puts everyone at ease.
Decorate with warm, natural accents for an extra touch. Wooden drink coasters, pine cones, or fresh flowers, depending on the season all bring a fresh, home-y, grounding effect to a space.
Decide Where You’re Going To Entertain
In addition to the guest rooms and bathrooms, you’re probably going to use the living room and dining room, mainly. So, you have to think about a few things.
Do you have enough seating?
First thing’s first – do you have enough seating for everyone? We’re not just talking about making sure everyone has a place at the dinner table, but also that everyone has enough space to hang out. Sofas generally only seat 3, so you’ll have to add to that. Borrow chairs from friends and neighbors if you need to.
Do people have special requirements?
Think about people’s special requirements and any accomodations you need to make for them. Think about accessibility for your elderly guests and accommodate that with plenty of space to move around the furniture, easier stair climbing, and handrails in the bathroom. Installing these in your bathtub will come handy later in life, or when you decide to sell the home. Child-proof your home if you’re expecting little ones to be running around.
Do your guests have entertainment available?
The dinner is the main event, but with people hanging out at your house for a few days, you have to provide them with more to do. Make sure to have board games at their disposal, share the Wi-Fi and Netflix password somewhere visible, have a stack of movies ready to go and create a home cinema experience for your guests, even if it’s just via cable TV. That’ll keep them entertained while you’re busy cooking the grand meal. Your goal is to make them feel at home.
Are You Hosting Anyone Overnight?
Things get more complicated if you’re hosting people overnight. There are all sorts of things you should be taking into consideration in order to be a good host.
Do you have space?
Obviously, the most important thing is to make sure you actually have the space to accommodate more people overnight. Add to your sleeping arrangements by making the sofa comfortable, bring in air mattresses, and supply everyone with plenty of pillows and blankets.
Help guests navigate your home
Keep in mind the fact that your guests aren’t familiar with the layout of your home. Make sure to mark the bathrooms clearly for easy access, and install some night lights in their rooms and in the hallways. That will make it easy to navigate to the bathroom or kitchen in the middle of the night without disturbing everyone else.
Have hampers with bathroom basics
Create a luxurious, hotel-like experience by welcoming your guests with hampers of care products and other basics – towels, shampoo, bodywash, moisturizer are all great surprises for anyone staying with you.
Final thoughts
After the initial excitement of hosting guests wears off, worry might set in – how are you going to prepare your house? What if they don’t like your home? It can be nerve-wracking to invite people into your home and personal space, so there are things you can do to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward.
Cleaning is a big part of the process, but so is decorating. But hosting is not limited to just appearances. You also have to think about accommodating your guests’ needs and wants, and catering to them. As long as you anticipate their needs, you will ace hosting any guest, no matter how high-maintenance they are.
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