18 Tips to Have a Successful Open House This Weekend

18 Tips to Have a Successful Open House This Weekend

I started my business doing open houses. My broker said I should be getting my name out there (Branding Myself) so I volunteered to do other agent's open houses and my first few listings had sometimes 2 open houses a week until they were in escrow.  I still believe it is important to show your listings to as many buyers as possible. Perhaps someone is driving by and sees the sign and stops. This could be the house they have been looking for and think how happy your seller will feel when you call later and say 5 people really liked the house and you are expecting 2-3 offers tonight. 

Here are some tips to have a successful open house and make your buyers feel comfortable:

1) Put the open house in your MLS section so it gets picked up on many of the linking internet sites so many people will know about your house. I remember we used to have to go to all the individual sites and add the open house information but now an agent just puts it in one place and technology takes over big time.

2) Farming the neighorhood is good to let neighbors know it is coming and what day/time. Sometimes they have friends/relatives they would like to move here so they will call them.

3) Good signage is important. Make sure you put out signs on major streets to draw the drivers/buyers to your open house. Make sure to have a sign in the area with the times expecially if you put the signs out early in the morning and will not be holding it until 1:00 pm.

4) Know your neighborhood and the comps. Print out your comps and have them available for interested buyers who stop in. You want the buyers to see the value in your listing. 

5) Make up flyers and not just the generic one on the MLS. I personally like to have a lender flyer too so the buyers can see what they would need to put down and what their payment would be.

6) I do not mind doing open houses by myself but I prefer to have an experienced lender with me. They bring their iPad or Laptop and can give the buyers good financial information. 

7) Have a sign-in sheet for buyers or other agents can sign it with. My sellers want to know how many guests showed up so this is the best way to let them know and it makes it easy to connect with any buyers who are not represented by an agent.

8) I like to have some iced water with lemon slices in a clear glass pitcher. I find some nice paper napkins and small matching paper cups. I typically serve some cookies too as you want the buyers to feel at home so what better way by giving them a drink and a snack. I personally like water and sugar cookies or white macadamia nut cookies because they will not stain the carpeting. I do not like chocolate chip or red fruit punch. NEVER!

9) If you have some giveaways, this is a good place to hand them out; calendar, flag, pen, market reports, etc.

10) Never plan to be anywhere just after your 1-4 pm open house because many times I will have buyers who continue to show up for the next hour. I want to show the home to as many people as possible to I am available to stay. Make sure to call your sellers and ask them to wait to come home for a few more minutes.

11) Try not to have to deal with the seller's pets. Locking the cat in the laundry room doesn't work well if someone misses the big sign on the door "DO NOT OPEN" and the cat goes running out the front door. This is not going to make your sellers happy and can be disasterous for the pet. Same with barking dogs in the back yard as it will disrupt the peace of the home and buyers like to walk in the yard and imagine having parties here under the big shady trees. Instead have your seller's pets go to the park with them and this way you are not misdirected dealing with pets instead of selling the house.

12) Make sure to take your signs down just after the open house so drivers are not knocking on the door after you have left and disturbing your sellers.

13) Make sure to let your sellers know what happened plus make sure you call all buyers who are not represented by agents. Also call the agents who visited and get feedback from them. This can be important as maybe they see something  negative that you can easier fix.

14) Social Media is a great place to advertise your listing. Put it on the major sites; FB, Twitter, ActiveRain, Trulia, and Zillow for greater exposure. Make sure to put a picture on the FB site as a visual  image is so import to buyers.

15) Staging- Make sure your home is staged for an open house by decluttering to make home look spacious.

16) Aromas-Lit candles or fruity air fresheners, cooked cake or cookies just before the event and always some pretty flowers and a bowl of fruit.

17) Good Lighting- Make sure all burned out lightbulbs are replaced for good lighting.

18) Linens- New linens in the bathrooms and bedrooms if possible for that fresh look like a hotel. 

Thanks for Reading my Blog......

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Kristin Hamilton CABRE #01492138 Keller Williams Realty –WCR Member– I am a full time agent and deal in all types of real estate transactions. Trusts, Probate, Short Sales, Standard Listing, Single Family Homes, Apartments 1-4 units, Duplexes and Condos. I am also an experienced REO agent. I sell real estate in the Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties. I am a trained and experienced Short Sale agent. If you are looking for a professional and experienced agent, I am just a click away. Google me at Kristin Hamilton-Real Estate Agent. Homeowners and Buyers both will find my services top notch and successful. Call me to sell your home; both traditional and short sales.

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