Tips for a Successful Open House
It’s no secret open houses are an integral part of the home selling process – even post-COVID. While we have seen an increase in virtual tours as a result of the pandemic, these online tactics are now used in conjunction with traditional in-person tours, making preparing for an open house as important as ever for sellers.
If you’re planning on putting your home on the market, here are some tips for a successful open house!
Utilize an Agent
According to the National Association of Realtors’ 2022 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, “86% of home sellers worked with a real estate agent to sell their home” with “91% of sellers [being] at least somewhat satisfied with the selling process.”
Working with an agent is not only preferred amongst sellers, but it also offers those placing their home on the market their best chance at success. Real estate agents intimately understand the home buying and selling process, the local market, and marketing strategies, including hosting open houses. As such, securing the right agent for you will be critical in having a successful open house of your own!
Advertise the Open House
While a good agent or broker will ensure your home is properly marketed both on and offline, it certainly won’t hurt to share your home’s open house across your social media, especially if you have a large following. Ask family and friends to share the post as well. By doing so, you’re increasing your reach and hopefully the foot traffic at your open house as a result.
Invite Your Neighbors
After you’ve shared the date and time of the open house across social media, don’t forget to invite your neighbors! While they more than likely won’t be purchasing your home, they may know someone who would.
Clean, Declutter, and Depersonalize
According to another NAR Report, 2021 Profile of Home Staging, agents recommend sellers declutter their home (93%), clean the entire home (85%), and depersonalize the home (68%) before holding an open house. Buyers want to be able to visualize themselves living in a home, so it’s essential to make the home feel clean, open, and like a blank canvas to potential buyers.
Make Minor Repairs & Updates
Agents also recommend you make minor repairs (69%) to improve your home’s chances of selling. These minor repairs include touching up chipped paint, replacing dated lighting fixtures and ceiling fans, replacing worn or stained carpeting, leaky faucets, and any other smaller update buyers are sure to notice.
Improve Curb Appeal
Along with minor updates comes improving curb appeal with 78% of agents recommending sellers take some time to enhance their home’s exterior. Some simple curb appeal ideas include pressure washing your driveway and walkways, updating any hardware, upgrading your garage door, and refreshing your flower beds.
Stage the Home
When it comes to hosting an open house (and really selling a home in general), staging is critical, and agents agree. According to the 2021 Profile of Home Staging, “[82%] of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home” with staging of the living room (46%), primary bedroom (43%), and kitchen (38%) being “very important” to buyers.
Most agents and brokers offer staging service, but be sure to ask about this when vetting potential agents!
Make Yourself Scarce
We hate to be the ones to inform you, but sadly, you are not invited to your own open house! As it turns out, buyer’s don’t really want to meet homeowners when trying to picture themselves living in a home, so as tempting as it may be, make sure you’re away from your home on the day of the open house along with any family members and pets.
The Bottom Line
Open houses are an important part of the home buying and selling process. By utilizing some of these tips for a successful open house, sellers will undoubtedly improve their chances on the market!
If you’re planning on placing your home on the market in the DMV, please don’t hesitate to reach out! We have a team of experienced agents ready to help you achieve your real estate goals.
