If your realtor has scheduled an open house, your job is to have your home sparkling clean and staged to please.
You might also want to do whatever you can to let passersby and neighbors know that something special is going on. The more people learn that your home is on the market and is open for visitors, the better. Word spreads.
Realtors and home buyers out looking for your open house will be sure to spot you easily.
Yes, you'll get looky-loos, but you never know when one person will be the link to a potential buyer.
So, fly your flags. Show off your home. This banner was made from two $1 vinyl tablecloths, some recycled string, and a little glue. Tack the end of it to a corner board on your home, or tie it to a gutter, and run it down to a stake on the ground or a flower pot.
This attention grabber is also what you can hang out the day of your garage sale, the day you turn the results of your de-cluttering into cash. You did de-clutter, didn't you?
Save your string of flags. Once your home is sold, you can have a party, and decorate the back yard. Or use them indoors at your next birthday party.
I wanted to make my flags bi-color. The 54" x 108" tablecloths I bought were big enough that using less than half of each made a banner over 30 feet long. That left me with with enough tablecloth for a picnic or two.
I chose to put my rotary cutter to work to speed the cutting process and get straight, even lines. If you don't have a cutter like this, or you want your children to make these banners, you could draw the outlines with pencil, and then cut the pennants out with scissors.
Supplies. Here is all you need. I neglected to add the string to my photo. You can use any cord or twine that will not stretch or break.
- File folder or cardboard for pattern
- Metal ruler
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Plastic table cloths in your choice of colors
- Rotary cutter
- Self-healing mat
- Fabric adhesive
- Sting or cord
Open the file folder, and fold it to determine the lengthwise center. Use the ruler and pencil to draw lines from the corners to the center point, to form a triangle. Cut the pattern out with scissors.
Fold the tablecloth to make eight to twelve layers. Lay the pattern to maximize the surface area. Cut, using the rotary cutter and metal ruler.
Discard the small pieces. This is what your pennants will look like. The first photo showed blue flags, and this photo shows white ones. Don't let me confuse you.
If you used the fold of the plastic tablecloth for one of the edges on your triangle, you'll have to trim away a smidgen to make separate flags. This is what I am doing here. You can cut through all layers in one cut.
I used my ironing board for a work surface. That meant I could glue only four flags at a time, then let the glue dry for an hour and move along to the next four flags. If you have a larger work surface, or can use the floor (my dog would be like all over those flags!), the gluing will go faster.
Lay a few pennants down, and lay the cord on top as shown.
Run a line of fabric adhesive above and below where the string will be. I tried regular school glue, but it did not adhere well to the vinyl. This Liquid Stitch, original version, stuck well, and is waterproof, so even if it rains on your open house day, your pennants won't fall apart.
Of course, I tried a hot glue gun first, and of course that melted the vinyl in about 1/1000 of a second!
Fold the top over to seal the cord in the pennant. You'll be able to slide the string so the pennants snug up to each other, or you can put space between them if you like that style.
The Liquid Stitch label says to let the glue dry for 24 hours, but I found that it was tacky enough to move on to another section of the garland after about an hour.
I love the way these pennants flutter in the breeze. If it is very windy in your area, they might just stay horizontal, or even wrap around the string, because they are quite lightweight.
I hope you can make and use my DIY Open House Flags. Your home should fly flags for attention when it's Open House Day.
To be sure your home doesn't wave any "red flags" for people touring homes to buy, you need to stage hour home wisely.
That's where my eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar, can help! I'll show you the difference between good and bad staging, and I'll teach you the easy and economical tricks and techniques I've learned staging homes for sale.
For example, I've devoted one entire section to staging your home's exterior. This easily downloadable eBook gives you a healthy share of tips to make the curb appeal of your home go off the charts.
That's wise staging! I'll show you how.
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