Open houses could play an important role in the selling of your home.  You need to understand up front, however, that few homes are actually sold as a direct result of an open house, i.e., that someone who visits during the event would actually make an offer to buy the house.  Why hold an open house, then?  Exposure!  This is the single biggest hurdle a FSBO has to overcome.  The more exposure your home has, the more public awareness of your home, the more people are talking about it, the better chance you have of selling it.  That's why I have prepared the following five tips to help you hold a successful open house.   

•·         ADVERTISE.  Place an ad in the local newspaper the weekend before as well as the weekend of the open house.  Don't forget to call well in advance to verify advertising rates and deadlines.  Put a sign in your yard a couple days prior to the open house.  On the day of the open house, use directional signs at major intersections directing traffic to your home. 

•·         CONTACT A REAL ESTATE AGENT.  That's right!  A real estate agent may consider holding the open house for you if you agree to pay them a commission on a sale and allow them to "work" the leads that are gathered at the event.  By working with an agent, you have the added advantage of being able to notify all REALTORS and their buyers of the open house!  Remember, EXPOSURE is crucial!

•·         PROVIDE HOME FLYERS.  The flyers should include a couple good pictures of the home, a brief description of the home, and a detailed summary of your home.  Remember, emphasis the uniqueness of your home!  This will provide buyers an overview of your home's features and amenities.  You could provide information like the size of rooms or a summary of utility costs and property taxes. Be creative and colorful but not too busy (lots of white space).

•·         PREPARE YOUR HOME.  You will waste a lot of time and money if you don't get this part of the open house right!  So, clear the house of all clutter, thoroughly clean the home (consider professional cleaning), add some flowers, turn on the lights, open the curtains and blinds, put your pets in a day kennel, and make sure your home has curb appeal.  As a precaution, put away all personal items and valuables.  Set up a table near the front entrance for your brochures and other property information.

•·         USE A GUEST SIGN-IN SHEET.  Have a place for guests to sign in.  Include a place for their name, address, telephone number and email address.  There are two primary reasons for this: 1) Security.  If anything goes wrong or disappears, you need a record of attendees.  2) Follow-up.  Remember, even if they don't make an offer on your home, you want them talking about it.  So, the day after the open house send them a note card or letter thanking them for their visit.  You might even call them and ask them what they thought about your home and how it's priced (Be prepared to accept criticism kindly, however).  And, if you have a price change at a later date, you can contact them again.

            I hope these tips help.  Best of luck on your open house!

www.RBMoore.com          Mailto:/Ron@RBMoore.com