Open House Tips for Sellers

An open house is a time-tested way to attract buyers in the market. But open houses can be intimidating to run.
Here are some open house tips for sellers.

Set the Stage

The entire point of an open house is to make your home look appealing to the buyer. To accomplish this, you will need to undergo several steps.

1. Make the House presentable The first thing to do is to make sure your home is in tip-top shape. This means that you should make sure your home does not have any damage. This includes things such as falling paint, broken floorboards, cracks in the wall, and so on. Be sure to clean your home properly. Hire a carpet cleaning service or window washer to really make your home shine.
2. Remove all personal items This includes things such as personal pictures or family photographs. The reason for this is because you want to make your home look like a model home rather than a personal one. This will make it easier for potential buyers to visualize your home as their own. When there are very personal items lying about, this makes it more difficult for the buyer. By making your home look very impersonal, it will actually help your buyer view the home as their own.
3. Remove all valuables This goes back to the second point where you want to remove as many personal items as possible. This obviously includes jewelry or any valuables that you feel may be at risk. If your open house turns out to be extremely popular, it will be difficult for you or your agent to be attending to every prospective buyer. Be smart, and lock up all valuables.

The most important thing, however, is to make sure that your home is in a good state, otherwise, no buyer will want to move in.

Spread the Word

Now that your home is all set, it’s time to start attracting some buyers. There are multiple ways to go about this.

The classic way is to simply set up signs around your neighborhood. It may sound extremely cliche but it works. Not only that, but it’s also a great way of informing people where your house is located. If a buyer sees an ad for your home but cannot find your house due to navigation, you may have just lost a prospective buyer. Set up signs around town, especially in areas where traffic is common.

The second way is to put your home up on major real estate portals or on websites such as Zillow, Craigslist or Backpage. There are several listing services where you can advertise your home and reach the widest audience. Furthermore, you should make use of your own social media channels, such as Facebook or Twitter, to get the word out.

Open houses are a great first step to selling your home. While this may seem like a daunting task, using these tips will help you get on the right track.