5 Open House Tips to Sell Your Home

Thinking of using an open house to sell your home?

Selling a home in a lukewarm or unpredictable market is a challenge that can frustrate even the most even-tempered person. Along with smart real estate advertising, consider having one or more open houses to help your selling efforts. Here are five open house tips to accelerate and improve buyers' offers.

1 Let there be light

Buyers love houses that are bright. Read any good real estate magazine and note how bright and airy the featured homes appear in pictures. Places look clean, inviting and ready for a newcomer to settle in. Make your home just as attractive during an open house. It will impress most buyers.

Make your house look bright and clean to impress your open house guests

2 Give your pets a short vacation

Even if your open house visitors love dogs, you don't want potential buyers to be distracted by your cute puppy. If you can, remove all evidence that you have a cute puppy. Stash the dog dishes, crates and favorite toys. While it may be hard for a pet owner to comprehend, there are people who don't have great love and affection for dogs and cats. Keep buyers focused on your home. After all, you're not trying to sell the cat or the dog.

3 Market your wonderful neighborhood

Find all the positives of your neighborhood and summarize them in a flier. Remember to put your wonderful house somewhere in the mix. Make the brochure available for visitors at your open house. This simple "take away" can help your home stand out in buyers' minds, particularly if they've visited several open houses in one day.

4 Smells are intoxicating

While you should probably avoid deep frying some of the more pungent fish types before an open house, baking cinnamon cookies or lighting fragrant candles can have major positive effects. Think twice about using burning candles to provide aroma. An open flame can be a hazard to small children or inattentive adults. Consider electronic candles that use no flame to add ambiance instead.

When was the last time you went to the beach? Use an open house as an excuse to do something fun, and at the same time leave potential buyers free to examine your house comfortably.

5 Become invisible

Regardless of your engaging personality, leave your home during an open house. Many potential buyers feel that they are imposing on you, and this can affect their objectivity and honesty. Less sensitive buyers, meanwhile, may make comments that are ill-considered and plain unkind. Go to the beach, a sporting event, a museum or out for lunch. Just don't be there during open houses. Your real estate broker will fill you in on promising potential buyers.

Love ’em or hate ’em, open houses sell homes

As a seller, you might offer the most sophisticated virtual tour that electronics allow. It will generate interest and some enthusiasm from buyers. However, nothing can replace a buyer walking through, examining and getting a "feel" for your property. Just as you would not consider making sn offer for a home without personally visiting it, you can't expect a qualified buyer to make you a reasonable offer until they see, feel and touch your house. Use open houses to generate solid offers.