Open houses are kind of like planning a party, only this time you don’t know how many people might actually attend. This means you have to be extra prepared for whatever the day might throw at you. Sometimes you even get that annoying or unwelcome guest that distracts both you as well as other potential buyers. So, how do you get the right people to show up? Here are the top 3 tricks to make your open house a success.

Time Is Of The Essence

Picking the appropriate date and time to host your open house is probably one of the most strategic things you can do to help maximize consumer touchpoints.

Avoid weekdays, especially during hours people are commuting to and from work. Also avoid times directly after normal business hours when families picking up kids, running errands, or eating dinner. An optimal range might be 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, with a one-hour variance depending on your particular market. Three hours tops is all you need for a successful open house, so maybe choose 11:00 am to 2:00 pm or 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Weekends are also the most ideal days to host an event. In a 2016 National Agent Insight Survey, Homelight found that “75 percent of agents chose Sunday as the best day to host an open house¹.”

Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness

The most effective way to market a home is to make sure it is clean. Stress to sellers the necessity of deep cleaning the property and decluttering spaces. Advising borrowers this may be an opportunity to purge will not only help them when it comes time to move, but will also make the home easier to sell.

Little touches also go a long way, such as mowing the lawn or pressure washing the walk, siding, and decking. Washing the windows (and keeping the shades open) is another great trick to allow in more natural light. It also makes the space feel more open.

Not Online? Should Be A Crime

According to a 2018 report from National Association of Realtors, 99% of Millennials used online websites to search for properties, with 58% also searching using a mobile device². It’s clear that having an online presence can maximize your returns, so the MLS is your first and best resource.

Second, make sure to post your open house on the major real estate sites including, Zillow, Redfin, Trulia, and Realtor.com. If you have a personal blog or website, you should consider listing the event there as well to maximize exposure.

Sometimes it can be hard to get the feel for a property fully from simply glancing at it online. Buyers’ have different perspectives when looking at things so make sure you use only the highest quality photos that really capture any prospective buyer. If you can afford it, consider having professional photos taken or even upload a 360-degree walkthrough of the space. This will help buyers engage with the property on a more immersive level.

Resources for your Open House

If you’re hosting an open house soon, make sure you solicit feedback from your visitors. Whether it’s a buyer, nosy neighbor, or another real estate agent, having good solid feedback is vital to discuss with a seller after the open house.

Make sure you download the free Open House Feedback Form for your next open house. The form can be found here: Download Open House Feedback Form.

Sources

1 Collins, A., Collins, A., Collins, A., Collins, A., USA Today, & USA Today. (2019, February 7). Are Open Houses Worth It? Signs Point to “No.”. Retrieved February 21, 2020, from https://www.homelight.com/blog/are-open-houses-worth-it/

2 National Association of Realtors. (2018). Real Estate in a Digital Age 2018 Report. Retrieved from https://www.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/documents/2018-real-estate-in-a-digital-world-12-12-2018.pdf