Spring is upon us and so is the return of the open house hosting season.  If your house was on the market all winter without a single bite, it may be time to open the windows and the door with a great open house that showcases exactly what buyers are looking for. 
Before you can address what makes buyers bite, you should probably figure out what types of buyers your house appeals to.  If you have a house for sale in a great school district, then you are probably going to get lots of families knocking on your door.  Make sure your home is as family-appealing as possible by keeping your yard clutter free and the grass trim and green.  If you have a condo in town with limited bedrooms, then it is likely to attract the young couple or single.  So make it low maintenance and a great place for entertaining.  Then you have your single level homes that will be most appealing to older couples.  For this kind of house you want to showcase the ease and comfort of your home for sale. 
When it comes to open houses, making sure your furniture is staged properly is a major point.  Not just your indoor furniture, but your outdoor furniture too.  If your furniture is worn replace it with attractive rental furniture or just show the house with no furniture at all. Remember first impressions are a top priority so make your entrance way inviting with a fresh coat of paint on the front door.  If your home doesn't have an entry way, create one with strategically placed furniture such as a table and coat or hat rack.
Closet organization plays a big role in how your house sells.  When a buyer peeks into your closet, they are looking at the soul of the previous owner and they will learn if you were a clean person or a clutter person.  Who would you want to buy from?  Organized closets make buyers feel secure.   Don't limit organization in the closets.  Kitchen cabinets and pantry areas need to be orderly as well.  While on the subject of organization, built- ins are big sellers.  From bookshelves and china cabinets to entertainment units and knick knack shelves, these little features can add big attraction at your open house, but it is important that they buyer can see the house as their own.   
Likely you have heard that kitchens and baths are what sell a house.  In the bath, marble counters, whirlpool baths and steam showers are attractions for any buyer, but can also leave buyers feel like they are looking at something out of their league.  Point being, don't spend valuable dollars making these fancy upgrades unless you have the dough to spend.  Otherwise be more practical and address the unattractive aspects of your existing bath like eliminating such eyesores as big sheet mirrors and globe lights.  And check the lighting! Nothing turns a buyer off worse than looking in a low-lit mirror and not feeling pretty. 
In the kitchen, if you are showing it with appliances, while stainless-steel appliances offer the power of suggestion and making people think that they're great cooks, the stainless finish isn't the choice of every homeowner.  Alternatives to consider are black appliances, but don't date them by putting them in the wrong setting.  White is good for that country kitchen feeling. Granite is not necessarily what buyers are after regardless of what you've heard. Slab countertops are what buyers are looking for, eliminating those grout lines. For the country kitchen, butcher-block is much less expensive than stone and it can be an appealing alternative to tile or laminate.
When it comes to flooring hardwood is what most buyers are looking for these days. If you have hardwood floors anywhere in your home-don't cover them up.  In fact eliminate as much floor clutter as possible, clean and shine the floor and let them act as a showcase of your open house. 
What is most important to spring open house success is getting those windows open and letting the outside spring airs in.  If you live in a noisy neighborhood, close the window before your open house actually starts, but leave them open for at least an hour before.  Whether you are showing a REO to rehabbers or a conventional home to traditional buyers, making your open house a welcoming and enjoyable experience for all who enter will lead to the quicker sale.