How To Host A Great Open House
Selling your house can be a big undertaking, especially without a real estate agent to guide you. One of the things you can do to dramatically increase interest in your home is to throw an open house. Open houses provide an opportunity to show off the property you’ve prepared for potential buyers.
A successful open house can sell your home quickly, while a poor one can scare off potential buyers. Here are a few tips to help your Open Houses go over smoothly.
Touch up the home
Maintenance is important before hosting the event. Fix interior problems and get the carpets cleaned. You want your home to be in perfect condition. Leaving minor problems unfixed will drive people away. Watch out particularly for broken stairs, squeaky doors, and loose light fixtures as those are the most likely to be noticed.
Fresh paint
Giving your home a fresh coat of white paint will help it look fresh and appealing. While adding color might be appealing to you, it may scare away a potential buyer. A coat of fresh white paint is like presenting a blank canvas to a potential buyer helping them to visualize how they could build their life.
“Stage” the home
More than just cleaning, staging a home involves creating an experience for visitors. Small visual touches can add up. It is all about the presentation from the outside to the inside, You want whoever is coming to see the home to be pleased with what they see. Because they will make snap judgments about everything they see from the moment they walk into the moment they leave. Make sure you leave a good first impression. Light decoration and lush window treatments can make a huge difference in selling your home.
Promote
Let everyone know about your open house. Flyers and local classifieds are traditional promotional materials but might not advertise as well as social media. Social media is becoming increasingly vital to all aspects of business and learning how it works will be a boon. Don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth either. People only come to your open house if they know about it. If you are not sure about how to handle social media then consider speaking with a Social Media Consultant.
Signs
On the day of the open house, take the extra step to make sure people can find your home without issue. Create large, easy to read signs and place them around the neighborhood. This will avoid any frustration and guide people to your home, while simultaneously generating interest with others.
Register visitors and follow up
Have a registry book to make sure to get the name and contact information of any person who comes in the door. Wait a week then follow up with everyone who attended. This can be a quick phone call or e-mail and will give you chance to answer any of their questions or address any concerns.
Throwing a successful open house can be a fun way to sell your home without the help of a real estate agent. Follow these tips the next time you’re trying to sell a house and you’ll be able to throw a successful Open House in no time.