1. Decide the date and time:
– Setting a feasible date and time for an open house is the first step in having a successful home showing. When deciding the date and time, consider items such as: Is it too late? Is this during business hours on a weekday while people are working? Is the time high traffic time? Will pet and child care be available for the seller? etc.
2. Schedule and update your calendar early:
Once you have figured out the date(s) and time(s) you are going to schedule your open house, update your calendar on beycome.com (discover how to Add an Open house on beycome) This way, you will be featured in our “Open House” section.
3.Get an Early Start:
– Time is on your side in this case. Give yourself enough time from the date you decide to have the open house to the actual date of the open house. That time can be used wisely, cleaning up, spreading the word or making quick-fix repairs.
4. Make it known:
– Tell EVERYONE. Of course, you don’t expect everyone to show up, but word of mouth has always been an effective and free marketing tool. We also suggest using some of beycome’s marketing tools such as flyers and business cards to help you get the word out.
5. Social media is your friend:
– The internet is your friend! Get on your social media outlets and let people know you are having an open house. Ask your friends and family to repost your open house info for you so the word reaches a broader audience. Hey, you never know who’s thinking about going house hunting. (how to share your property on Social Media).
6. Be Seen:
– Besides using the directional arrows and the lawn sign, we suggest that on the day of the open house you add some helium balloons to your gate, front steps or door to help your property stands-out to people driving around looking for the property. This is especially effective when the address on a home is hard to read from the street.
7. Order refreshments:
– This is not a soup kitchen and you are not here to feed the hungry (not during the open house at least). Light snacks like cookies, pretzels, or small sandwiches go a long way with buyers who have traveled to see your home. Compliment the light snacks with a beverage such as coffee, tea, or mini water bottles.
8. Sign-In Book:
– Having a sign-in book is an important tool to help keep track of visitors. We suggest you ask all visitors to sign in upon arrival. If possible, make sure the sign-in sheet has a place for their name, email, phone number and whatever other information you may feel is necessary for a follow-up. Keep the sign-in book close to the door, preferably on the same table as the refreshments. This will make it easier to get your potential buyers to leave their contact information. Ydownloadowaload our free support sign :
- Please remove shoes sign
- Open House Sign-in form.
9. Create a neutral environment:
– If your home has furniture, tone it down some. We absolutely LOVE your eclectic style, however, it is important that the potential buyer can visualize themselves in the home. The more neutral the home, the more space for the buyer’s creative side to flow. The more potential a buyer sees in a home, the higher the potential of the buyer making an offer.
10. Security:
– No, we’re not talking bodyguards or police. We’re talking about keeping yourself and items in your home safe. Lock away or remove all valuables including jewelry, paperwork etc. Also, remove any medications out of your medicine cabinets that may get into the wrong hands. Keep yourself aware of where people are in respect to where you are in the home. We suggest you enlisting the help of 2 or 3 friends or family to have throughout the house to answer questions, assist and keep an eye out.
11. Double check weather and plan:
– You’ve scheduled an open house in advance and on the day of your event, the weather calls for rain! No time to reschedule it now, simply work around it. Make sure you have a mat for people to wipe their shoes before walking through the home, also an umbrella holder that can be left by the front door makes sure there are no drips throughout the house.
12. Spruce up the place:
– It’s time for a little spring cleaning. We are sure your home is beautiful and up to par, but let’s do a quick double check. Make sure there is no dust build up on appliances or furniture (TV sets are good dust magnets), get all the cobwebs out of the corners, change the towels hanging in the bathroom, keep toilet lids closed, fresh soap bars, set the dining room tables, fluff up the bedroom and sofa pillows and wipe dust of the vertical blinds, air conditioning vent doors, and ceiling fans.
13. No scents:
– Keeping the house neutral looking and smells are a good idea. Don’t Febreeze the house down or light incense and candles. Not only can these scents have an adverse effect on the home, but also on the buyers. The last thing you want is a potential buyer to have an allergy attack because you love the scent of vanilla.
14. No pets:
Fluffy, Sparky, Toto, Rufus…They all must go. Not everyone is a pet lover, so find a place to keep your pets for the day. Buyers should not have any idea that you have an animal. So hide the cat or dog food and water bowls and the doghouse in the backyard.
15. Let the sunshine in:
– Open the blinds and let the sunshine in. It allows for buyers to get a good idea on what kind of natural light they will get in the home. Also allows the buyers to see what their view outside will be from different angles of the house.
16. Soft music:
– Playing soft music during the open house relaxes buyers and makes them more comfortable. Now, we said soft music, not elevator music. We don’t want potential buyers eating and taking a nap on the sofa. A good ole light listening music station on Pandora works just fine.
17. Engage buyers
– Most important, so we saved it for last…Engage your buyers! Don’t just greet them on the way in, engage in a little conversation. This is your time to find out pertinent information about your prospect. No need to be inspector gadget because a savvy buyer will pick up on that from a mile away, but see what’s on their mind, what’s their intended buyer time frame. This type of interaction helps you decipher the people who are really looking for a home from the ones who just wanted to snack and be nosy!
Comments are closed.