Hosting an open house is one of the better ways of finding potential buyers for your home. But, contrary to popular belief, hosting a successful open house is not as easy as people think. In order to properly host an open house, there are certain steps you need to take. Following these steps is terribly important, especially if you chose to sell your home privately. For without a realtor at your side, you will have to go over some major hurdles present in the real estate market.
How to approach hosting a successful open house
Hosting a successful open house is not just about making your home look presentable. You need to pick the right time for selling it and find a way to present it properly. Then you need to spread the word so that potential buyers know when are where to come in order to check out your home. Overall, there are a lot of aspects to consider. So, let us take a closer look at what hosting an open house is all about.
Learn from other sellers
The first thing you should do is to learn from other sellers. Our advice is to look through your local area and see if there are any other open houses. Try visiting them and see how other people are dealing with them. Remember that the real estate market is not a fixed thing. There are different trends present at different times, and if you want to successfully sell your home, you need to be aware of the current ones. And, the best way to do so is to learn from your competition. Try to see what they are doing right when it comes to hosting and dealing with buyers so that you can copy it. And try to see what they are doing wrong so that you can correct it.
Staging the home
The most obvious step is that you will have to stage your home. This means that you will have to declutter it, clean it and depersonalize it. The more you can make your home look as if it were from a catalog, the better. With professional help, you can pack and organize your items in no time, which is why you don’t have to rush with decluttering.
But, besides looks, you will also need to tackle the structural integrity of your home. This may require some renovations, which usually take time. So, do yourself a favor and start tackling the pros and cons of home renovations the moment you decide that you are going to sell it. Some renovations will not be worth the money spent, as their cost will outweigh the increase in home value.
Spreading the word
One of the biggest difficulties you will run into, if you try to sell your home without a realtor, is spreading the word. Real estate agents usually have different means of letting buyers know that your home is for sale. You do not have those means, which is why you need to use different methods in order to spread the world. Start off by printing a well made “For sale” sign and placing it on your front lawn. You can also place flyers on bulletin boards in your neighborhood.
Then process to contact your family and friends so that they can spread the word. Another aspect you can tackle is basic online marketing. Use your Facebook and sites like Craigslist.org and FSBO to showcase your home. Take pictures of it and make a video showing it so that you will be able to promote it more easily.
Being a good host
When you’ve spread the word for your open house and dealt with home staging, you will not have much to do regarding your home. For some final touch-ups, you can simply let movers arrange everything. So, with their help, this shouldn’t be much of a problem. On the other and, what you will need to deal with on your own is being a good host.
In order to sell your home quickly, you will need to present your home in a friendly manner, and still maintain a dose of professionalism. Remember to leave a sign-up sheet so that your potential buyers can leave their information. Make sure that no pets are present and that you’ve removed any medicine or alcohol for your home. Also, try to let your potential buyers explore your home freely. Remember, one of the most important factors in their decision will be the impression they had during the open house. So, try to make them feel as comfortable and welcome as possible.
Description sheets
A neat way to introduce potential buyers with your home is with description sheets. These are usually made by and presented by real estate agents, which is a reason more why you should also make them. Keep in mind that your description sheets need to be both concise and easy to read. That way, your potential buyers will have an easier time deciding whether they like your home or not. In them you should include:
- Home address
- Asking price
- Contact Info
- Description of the Property – Number of bedrooms and bathrooms, total square footage, special features, etc.
- Maintenance fees
- Taxes
- Information about local schools, hospitals, and local emergency services.
Remember to follow up
Once you’re done with hosting a successful open house, you need to send a “Thank you” email to all the people that were on your sign-up sheet. During the following week or two, you can call people that seemed interested and ask them if they need any more information about the house. If not, remember to remain thankful, keep your chin up, and ask for any suggestions on how to improve your home. The friendlier you are, the easier it will be for you to sell your house.
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