If your house is on the real estate market and is not selling, hosting an open house could make a difference. Buyers enjoy looking at homes, and the more people you can get through your doors, the faster your house may sell. If you decide to have an open house, there are several things you should know before you plan this day.
Do Open Houses Help?
Preparing for an open house and hosting it takes effort and time, but it could result in the sale of your home. While some people believe that open houses are a waste of time, others strongly believe they can help a person sell their home. The first thing to realize is that having an open house certainly will not hurt your chances of selling your home, so you really have nothing to lose.
The second thing to realize is that open houses attract people. When people see ads about upcoming open houses, they may plan to attend. Others may not see the ads but may stop by if they happen to drive by while the open house is going on.
One reason houses do not sell is due to a lack of prospective buyers. If you can increase the number of buyers that walk through your home by having an open house, it could potentially increase your odds of finding a person that wants to buy your house. For an open house to help you sell, you may need to take a few steps to get your house ready for the big day.
What Steps Should You Take To Prepare Your Home?
When you open your doors to prospective buyers, your house needs to look as good as possible. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you prepare for this day:
- Eliminate clutter and deep clean the entire home – People at open houses will carefully look over your entire home, including the closets, basement, and garage. Everything must be in place, and your home should not contain any clutter at all. If necessary, hire a professional cleaning company to help you with this.
- Make it smell good – You are probably used to the way your home smells, but unfortunately, the smell of your home may be a turn off to those that walk through it. Deep cleaning may help with this, but you may also want to have a candle or two burning on the day of the open house.
- Stage it – Home staging is a process used to help buyers gain a good first impression when they enter a home. Hiring a home stager is a good idea if your house needs a fresh touch.
- Spend time working on the outside – You should not underestimate the value of the outside of your home too. This will be the first thing people see, so you should make sure you mow and trim your yard before the open house. You may also need to clean it up a little and remove any clutter that may be present.
These tips will help you get ready for your open house, but there are several things you should know about the big day.
What Should You Do On The Day Of The Open House?
There will also be things you must do on the day of the open house, and one of these things is removing your pets. If you have pets, they should not be there on this day.
A second thing to realize is that you and your family should not be there either. Your real estate agent should be the only one present, and he or she will be there to show people around and answer any questions they may have. Because of this, your agent should thoroughly know the details of your home. If necessary, brush up on some of the details with your agent right before the open house starts.
Finally, you may want to consider offering snacks at your open house. While this in itself will not convince a person to buy your home, it could help your visitors stay a little longer, and this could have positive effects on the sale of your home. The best types of snacks to offer are finger foods, such as cookies, veggies, or fruit.
Planning an open house could be a good step to take if you want to sell your house faster, but you will need to talk this over with your real estate agent. To learn more, contact real estate selling services in your area today.
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