A house with a For Sale sign.
If you ever put your house on the market, you know how tedious the process can get. It takes a lot of effort in order for everything to go successfully. While things like getting a good real estate agent and making some upgrades to raise the value are essential, the open house day plays a massive role in this process. An open house day is when you get to show off your property to potential buyers, so leaving a good first impression is a must. You must know how to communicate with buyers and how to describe your property. Also, you will have to prepare the property for the open house day properly. This can seem a bit overwhelming, so we decided to show you what mistakes to avoid when holding an open house so you can prepare.
You should follow these rules when holding an open house:
While it is understandable that you are eager to sell your house, that is not something you should show during an open house. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to appear overeager to a potential buyer. They don’t want to feel like you are pressuring them to buy. The atmosphere during open house day should be pleasant, and you should be friendly and nice but also give them some space to look around on their own. This is especially important if a bigger family comes to the open house. They will want some privacy so they can talk among themselves without you hovering.
If you want a buyer to get really interested in your house, you should ensure they can picture themselves living in it. And they want to be able to do that if you don’t remove certain personal items before open house day. If a buyer walks in and sees your family pictures hanging on the walls or your record collection still on the shelf, it will be off-putting to them. You need to eliminate all that before the open house so you don’t risk it. Leave the ordinary decor, but everything personal should be gone.
One of the mistakes to avoid when holding an open house is leaving personal items there.
We said you shouldn’t be pushy with people during the open house, but that doesn’t mean you should go extremes in the other direction. You should give them their space. But don’t be rude. They will still want to hear some info about the house, and they probably have some questions they want to ask you. So make sure you are prepared for that. If you are nervous about talking to people and showing off your home, there is nothing wrong with writing down what you want to say beforehand. Just learn what you wrote down and be relaxed. It’s all about finding the middle ground so you don’t appear intrusive or indifferent.
An open house is the day you are supposed to show people your home’s uniqueness. It’s supposed to look the best it’s ever looked with every detail in its place. Leaving the house messy and unclean on that day would be a disaster. Not only is it an unappealing view it also shows that you are not serious about selling. You should hire pro cleaners to take care of everything before the open house, so you leave a good impression.
We all love our pets and want to bring them everywhere with us. However, an open house is not the place for your furry friends. People usually don’t want a pet running around while watching a house they might consider buying. Also, you never know if someone is allergic to or fears dogs, so it’s better not to risk it.
Don’t leave pets running around.
You should never be late for your open house showing. If you scheduled it at a specific time, be there when the people come for the showing. Otherwise, you risk looking rude and unprofessional, which can hurt your selling chances. Obviously, if a huge emergency happens, being late is unavoidable, but you should call the people and inform them that the open house is postponed until further notice. But for anything other than that, there is no excuse.
Sometimes sellers point out the flaws in their property during the open house because they think it will make them seem objective. But it could have the opposite effect. Chances are, if there are apparent flaws there, the buyers will notice them on their own. Be prepared to answer any questions they might have about it but don’t overly criticize.
Don’t forget to take care of the exterior of your home.
If you want to hold an open house, you must take care of your yard as well. People sometimes focus on making the interior look suitable and forget the exterior. And the exterior is the first thing people see, so you shouldn’t neglect it. Get it landscaped properly before the open house.
You should provide sign-in sheets during the open house. This is how potential buyers leave their info, so you can stay in touch and contact them.
These are the nine mistakes to avoid when holding an open house, and you should never underestimate their importance. An open house is the first time potential buyers truly get to see the home, and if you play right, you can speed up the selling process. Good luck!
Author Bio: Emily Gallager
By Emily Gallager
who is a freelance writer from New York. She works as a content editor for Best Movers NYC, where she writes about the real estate market, focusing on giving sellers tips and tricks.
Member since April, 2023
View all the articles of Emily Gallager.