Is the time. Your children are getting old. You just got a big promotion. Maybe you are an empty nester. But one way or another it’s time for a new home.
So you put your house on the market. You have an ad in the newspaper and a sign in your yard. What else can you do?
Have you considered holding an open house?
If you spread the word and have a plan for when prospective buyers walk in the door, you’ll have an excellent chance of meeting a lot of potential buyers.
A For Sale By Owner Open House is a great, low-cost way to help you sell your home. Holding an open house is a great opportunity to create foot traffic through your home without having to wait for buyers to call and schedule a showing.
One of the biggest annoyances of a real estate agent-led open house is that you’ll have to go somewhere else while it’s taking place. Also, if there are multiple open houses going on, your frustration with the whole process may start to grow. Being away from home for a few hours over the weekend can be very frustrating.
But, because you’re hosting the open house, you’ll be staying at home throughout the process, which can lower your stress level.
Ok, an open house sounds like a good idea. How does the word spread?
- Tell everyone you know. Friends, family, neighbors, co-workers. Have I forgotten someone? Use every tactic you can think of to let people know you’re hosting an open house. Email is a very useful tool. Call everyone you know. Even the family. Let your neighbors know by visiting or sending them a quick note.
- Advertise your open house wherever you are currently listing your home. Buyer’s guide, newspaper, etc. This will ‘cast your net’ even further by letting all other potential buyers know about your open house. It is also important write a killer description so buyers want to come see your home in person.
To really help get people in the door, offer snacks and refreshments. Believe it or not, this is a great way to help convince people to attend.
Here are some tips to help you run a successful open house:
- To make your home look more spacious, bring as much light into your home as possible. You can achieve this by opening all the blinds and curtains and turning on all the lights. Pay close attention to the lighting in your entryway, dining room, and living rooms.
- Allow buyers to envision themselves living in your home. This can be done by removing any personal items you may have around the house. This would include family photos, children’s artwork, etc.
- Create a welcoming scent in your home. You can do this by baking cookies or bread. Adding bowls of potpourri to bathrooms and bedrooms are also easy ways to add a cozy scent. If you have pets, work hard to neutralize odors, especially litter boxes, and keep pets away from guests.
- Keep distractions to a minimum. Arrange for your children to visit a neighbor or friend so you can devote your full attention to showing your home. Keep the television and radio turned off. Never apologize for anything in your home and never make negative comments about your home. You don’t know what a buyer is looking for, so what you consider to be a defect may be exactly what you are looking for.
Before the open house begins, you need to gather a couple of items.
- Blank sales contracts. Make it easy for buyers to make an offer.
- Frills. Have flyers ready for buyers to take away. These should contain as much information as possible, as well as photographs of your home. Brochures can be printed directly from their online listing on most national for sale by owner websites.
Above all, it makes it easier for a buyer to make an offer or contact you later.
Remember that an open house is an effective and inexpensive way to attract a large number of people to your home. Even if the person stopping by your house doesn’t make you an offer, you never know who they’ll be talking to about your house.