How to Host an Open House When Selling Your Home FSBO
It’s time. Your kids are getting old. You just got a big promotion. Maybe you’re an empty nester. But one way or another, it’s time for a new home.
So you’re putting your home on the market. You have an ad in the newspaper and a sign in your yard. What else can you do?
Have you thought about organizing an open house?
If you get the word out and have a plan for when potential buyers will walk through the door, you will have an excellent opportunity to meet many potential buyers.
A For Sale by Owner Open House is an excellent low-cost way to help you sell your home. Holding an open house is a huge opportunity to generate foot traffic through your home without having to wait for buyers to call and schedule a showing.
One of the biggest annoyances with real estate agents holding an open house is that you’ll have to go somewhere else while it’s happening. Plus, if multiple open days are held, your frustration with the whole process can start to grow. Being displaced from your home for a few hours on the weekend can become very frustrating.
But since you’re holding the open house, you’ll be staying in your home during the entire process, which can reduce your stress level.
Okay, an open house sounds like a good idea. How do you get the word out?
- Tell everyone you know. Friends, relatives, neighbors, colleagues. Have I forgotten someone? Use every tactic you can think of to let people know you’re holding an open house. Email is a very useful tool. Call everyone you know. Even the family. Let your neighbors know by stopping by or dropping them a quick note.
- Advertise your open house wherever you currently advertise your home. Buyers Guide, Newspaper, etc. This will “cast your net” even further by letting every other potential buyer know about your open house. It is also important to write a killer description so buyers want to come and see your home in person.
To really help draw people in, offer snacks and refreshments. Believe it or not, this is an excellent way to convince people to attend.
Here are some tips to help you run a successful open house:
- To make your home look more spacious, bring as much light into your home as possible. You can achieve this by opening all the blinds and curtains and turning on all the lights. Pay close attention to the lighting in the hall, dining room and living room.
- Allow buyers to imagine living in your home. This can be done by removing any personal items you may have in the house. This will include family photos, children’s artwork, and more.
- Create a pleasant aroma in your home. You can do this by baking cookies or bread. Adding potpourri bowls to bathrooms and bedrooms is also an easy way to add a nice smell. If you have pets, try to neutralize all odors, especially litter boxes, and keep pets away from guests.
- Keep distractions to a minimum. Arrange for your kids to visit a neighbor or friend so you can focus on showing your home. Keep the TV and radio off. Never apologize for anything in your home, and never make negative remarks about your home. You don’t know what the buyer is looking for, so what you think is a flaw may be exactly what they are looking for.
Before the open house begins, you need to collect a few items.
- Blank sales contracts. Make it easy for buyers to make an offer.
- Leaflets. Prepare flyers for buyers to take with them. They should contain all possible information as well as photos of your home. Flyers can be printed directly from your online listing on most national for-sale-by-owner websites.
Above all, make it easy for the buyer to make an offer or contact you later.
Remember that an open house is an effective and inexpensive way to attract many people to your home. Even if the person walking by your home doesn’t make an offer, you never know who they’ll be talking to about your home.
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