If executed correctly, open houses can be a great way for sellers to attract homebuyers and get a healthy buzz going in the neighborhood about a newly listed property. If you don’t plan them out, an open house can be one big waste of time.
Here’s what you’re doing wrong at your open house and what you can do to solve your real estate faux pas.
Keep it simple stupid
By that we mean clean, de-clutter and empty out your house as much as possible to show it off. One of the biggest problems with open houses is that sellers neglect to do the simplest staging techniques to make their home more inviting and enticing to homebuyers.
If you are going to go through all the trouble of hosting an open house, make the most of it. Remove personal pictures, kids trophies, magnets on the fridge, miscellaneous items, religious and political paraphernalia, and anything that doesn’t need to be lying around. This applies for furniture too. Unnecessary desks, bulky end tables and chairs can be clutter too. The less you have in your home, the bigger it will look and feel to potential buyers.
Get out of the house
Yes, there are circumstances where your presence at an open house could be beneficial. But 9 times out of 10 it’s best for you to just get out of the house during your open house. The presence of a seller can deter homebuyers from asking questions, from taking a close look at all the little things like closet space, etc. and put you, the seller, on edge. You also might overhear criticisms about your décor or floor plan that you don’t want to hear. No need to put the extra emotions in the mix.
Make it fun
If your home is vacant or has a lot of blank wall space, you can work with your agent to identify a local art gallery to host an exhibition. If your home is likely to appeal to first-time homebuyers, ask your agent and lender to host a how-to seminar in your living room. If your neighborhood has a lot of families and you want to show off the great community feel, host a taco truck and get the neighborhood out and mingling. If your house is special, sometimes it takes a special touch to draw the right kind of crowd to your open house.
Have one!
With home buying and browsing shifting toward such a focus on online, it’s easy to think you no longer need an open house. But if you real estate agent is savvy, like the ones at First Team, they know that open houses still help sell properties. You want to cast the widest net possible, and however the buyers want to see the house (be it a no pressure open house, private showing, or video tour), you want to accommodate.
An open house is just one of the marketing strategies you should be using to sell our home. Sit down with a First Team agent near you to hammer out a comprehensive selling strategy for your home to get it off the market and sold on your timeline.
