Trying to sell a home can be frustrating, especially if there are very few showings. You need showings to sell the home, and having an open house could potentially help you to build interest and set you apart from other homes for sale. If you have a real estate agent handling the sale of your house, he or she could help you orchestrate an open house. Here are three things you must do to have an effective open house.
Prepare For It
Preparing for an open house involves:
- Selecting a time and date
- Advertising for it
- Deep cleaning the entire house so it is presentable for anyone that shows up
One of the most important ways to prepare is removing clutter from your house. Clutter makes a house look bad, and this is something that can turn potential buyers off.
You may also want to consider the time of year you have the open house. According to Realtor.com, more houses sell in spring and summer than in fall and winter. If you can wait until spring to have your open house, there may be more people looking for homes to buy, and you may end up with more people stopping in at your open house.
The other thing to consider is that open houses work best if the homeowners are not home during them. Instead, your real estate agent can be there.
Help Your Agent Know Your House
Your real estate agent should be very familiar with your house prior to the open house. He or she should be able to:
- Show people around the house
- Point out highlights and unique traits of the house
- Answer any questions people may have
Good agents can sell houses. They know what buyers are looking for, and they often come across as friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful.
Offer Extras
Another thing you can do to attract more people to your open house is to offer things to them. If you advertise this as an event, more people might want to come. To do this, you could offer:
- Free balloons to kids
- Hot or cold drinks
- Snacks
- Professional brochures of your house
Finally, make sure people know about the open house. Place balloons all over the front yard and post signs that advertise that you are having an open house. Any step you take to let people know that you are having an open house can help you find a buyer for your house.
If you have not yet hired a real estate agent to help you sell your house, you might want to find one before you begin planning your open house.
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