How to Set Up the Perfect Open House

Creating a vision of a desirable lifestyle is what brands the world over aim to do. From buying shampoo, a holiday or in this case a home, we want to imagine ourselves living the life we have always dreamt of. As real estate agents we have the opportunity to showcase a home and at the same time walk people through the real life reality they have always imagined. Creating the perfect open house holds the opportunity for both a successful sell but also very happy buyers.

Choose the best times to show & advertise

Openings traditionally fall on a Sunday to appeal to most people's open schedules on the weekend, however having an open mind can sometimes be a winning strategy. Think about your ideal clients schedule and see if perhaps an evening viewing would be more relevant for those working weekend jobs or long hours. Alternatively take a controversial strategy and schedule your open house on a holiday date. This opens you up to potential for a wide range of guests. Once settled on a date let people know and build a buzz for your opening. The internet is your porthole to grab people's interest. From social media pages to online listings, using descriptive texts and clear, stylised images will get people saving your date to their calendars. Use offline methods in addition such as old school methods of bulletin boards, community newsletters, and visual indicators on the day of the opening to direct people in the right direction (think signs on corners leading to the property).

Stage the home

The easiest way to have people envisage their own lives within a property is without seeing too many of the belongings of the previous owners. The house should look like a home, but also one that is a clean slate to put their mark on. Remove personal items such as photographs, toys, vehicles from the drive and general clutter from surfaces. Depending on the homes general interior, you could opt to simply remove some items (excess furniture to create more space and see above for belongings) or hire in specialists to repaint to a more neutral colour pallette with a greater focus on minimalism instead of maximalism. If working with an empty home then in order to allow people the experience of envisaging their lives within the walls, think about virtually staging through sites such as BoxBrownie.com . They will provide images that envisage a home that has been designed by an interior designer. Allowing you to lead guests accompanied a tablet to show the potential that could be realised.

On the day

When welcoming guests through the awning, think about what experience you would like them to have? Perhaps the smell of bread welcomes them home, or soft ambient music encourages them to lift the weight off their shoulders as they walk in. Consider smell but stay clear of artificial scents that could bring on unknown allergies of guest. Instead opt for neutral scents or those that conjure thoughts of food, such as heating appetisers on the stove. Always comforting and irresistable! What will people first see as they enter? First impressions can make the world of difference so consider adding some nature to your showing. Have a beautiful bunch of flowers on the hall table, or perhaps burn candles to make the place instantly cosey. Keeping in mind someone seeing the property for the first time, what vision would you like them to see?

All the details

Selling a home is a big investment and when making such a purchase buyers are interested in knowing all the facts ahead of time. Make sure you have all paperwork available as well as the listing details, property facts as well as any inspection or infrastructure reports. A nice touch is to show interested buyers in not only quantitative data, but quotes from the families previously living there, local information (such as great schooling close by or stunning parks) and share photographs of the property from all seasons of the year.

Be upbeat

There is a phrase that goes, ‘people buy from people’ and that goes for selling homes as much as fresh fruit at the market. Creating a connection between yourself and the viewer that is upbeat, welcoming and positive, is not only calming when deliberating, it is also far more likely to get a sale than nonchalance. If you care then they will! Being friendly and open allows you to find out what they are interested in and allows you to cater the property information to suit their list of requirements. Failing this you get an insight into the impression the property is making on guests and how to pivot the marketing in the future. By being aware of all the elements that play a role in creating the perfect open house you will get more feedback from your potential buyers and create an experience that will lead to signatures and the purchase of their dream home.

 

Photo by Jason Briscoe, Dan Gold, armin djuhic, Christopher Harris on Unsplash