Regardless of the prevailing wisdom of many real estate experts, there is always something to gain for agents and sellers during an open house. There is a good possibility that with enough follow up, a listing’s buyer will end up being someone who attends the event. To help optimize your upcoming open house, Thomas & Webber has compiled the following pieces of advice.
1. Give yourself enough time. Three to four days is an acceptable minimum for preparing and advertising the open house, but ideally, you will have at least a week. Solicit the open house on as many applicable sites as possible, and be sure to let people know on your professional social media accounts (not your personal account). A new and innovative way agents make open houses accessible is to live stream a portion of the event. Don’t forget about putting up physical signage on the day of the event.
2. Have the owners away, but reachable, during the open house. There are situations where having the current owners around is helpful, but their presence during an open house can make things awkward. Prospective buyers want space to make a thorough, honest assessment of the home, and having the current owners hovering over them is not ideal. It could be useful to have the sellers reachable by cell phone during the open house in case you have an interested party but need an answer to a question.
3. Clean, clean, clean. Any house on the market should be in a perpetual state of relative cleanliness, but an open house necessitates a more thorough scrubbing. The vast majority of top real estate agents recommend a deep clean before an open house. Making the house as free of clutter as possible is also highly recommended.
Don’t neglect the exterior, though. Consider a thorough pressure washing for the side of the house and a paint touchup. The home’s curb appeal is just as crucial for a successful open house.
4. Create a welcoming atmosphere. Open blinds and drapes to let in as much natural light as possible. Lighting candles and baking cookies are ways to have the house smelling warm and inviting. Playing soft, calming music is also a good idea to set the mood.
After the Open House
If you neglect to follow up with interested parties in a timely manner, the open house may have been for nothing (or next-to-nothing). Anyone who seems like they had genuine interest should be contacted with a personalized message. Everyone else’s information should also be recorded into whichever service you use to keep in touch with contacts. Set realistic expectations: the open house is not likely to sell on the spot, but you should grab as many leads as possible.
Conclusion
There are a wide variety of possible outcomes from an open house. You could find a buyer, generate leads, or, at the very least, gain feedback so you can tweak the procedure for your next open house. Before your next Lake Norman real estate transaction, consider making Thomas & Webber your closing attorneys. We believe that your clients’ closing on their dream home should be a joyous time. Get in touch with our firm today to begin a mutually beneficial professional relationship.
Thomas & Webber Law at the Lake
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