How “OPEN” Are You To Selling Your House?

When was the last time you went to an OPEN HOUSE?  With so much information about houses online these days (pictures, videos, floor plans, etc), you may find the need or desire for an open house less appealing.  Why go through all the hassle of keeping everything in perfect condition only to serve people looking to kill some time and eat some appetizers?
Here are some reasons why you should incorporate an open house strategy when trying to sell your home.

• Open houses are time consuming and a lot of agents much less homeowners don’t have time to spend setting up the perfect stage for an open house.  However, if you look at the data open houses tend to bring in more interested buyers and more interested buyers bring in more sold homes!  Source: National Association of Realtors

• Open houses are just downright friendly!  Viewing a home online gives potential buyers a great idea of price, space, and location but there’s something about seeing a home in person.  Every home has a personality about it and an open house gives potential buyers a chance to touch and feel the uniqueness of each home.

• As an agent open houses allow you to connect with many potential buyers.  Perhaps the house you are showcasing isn’t the right fit for them.  An open house lets you meet these buyers in person and develop a personal relationship you otherwise wouldn’t have garnered from an online form.

• Make no mistake about it.  An open house will help you on the fast track to selling your home.

Now that we’ve established that an open house is a necessity for selling your home, what are the best practices to setting up an open house?

• Let everyone know about the event.  Put up signs, where applicable, balloons on mailboxes and run ads in free newspapers and on classified ad sites.  Your agent can help you with getting the word out.  Many potential buyers know the area they want to live, so there’s a good chance they will drive around the area on the lookout for an open house.

• Clean the house!  This is a no brainer but you’d be surprised at how many people over look this factor.  Have the carpets and floors cleaned, paint areas that look worn, and plan to have pets kept offsite if possible.  Don’t forget the smell – each home has a unique smell so try to freshen it up with a pleasant aroma, possibly by baking cookies or spraying a fabric softener around the home.

• For agents, be sure to give buyers plenty of printed information to take home with them.  Don’t be cheap when it comes to getting professional brochures and cards created.  Portraying an image of professionalism and elegance is essential.

There you have it.  An open house may sound like an old school technique when it comes to selling a home but it still works in this day and age of advanced technology and information!