Usefulness of Open Houses

Addison Realtor Bob Rizza Discusses the Usefulness, or Uselessness, of Open Houses

Bob Rizza, real estate agent Addison, Discusses the Usefulness, or Uselessness, of Open Houses

When marketing a home for sale, one of the first techniques that homeowners ask about is the potential of holding an open house, but there are no two realtors that view the usefulness, or uselessness, of open houses in the same light. From some colleagues (contact your real estate agent Addison), I have heard the number “1 in 5” of their listings are sold through open houses, but in the very next conversation I may be told that a fellow realtor has not had nearly as much success with them. I try to be open minded and, more importantly, work with my clients to close their home quickly, and, again, more importantly, efficiently.

Some reasons realtors may not favor open houses include:

·      Apathy

·      The house will not “show” well

·      The house is in a difficult location and/or hard to find

If, however, an open house is something about which you feel strongly, there some helpful tips that you could follow:

·      Advertise. It will be impossible for an open house to be successful if no one can find your home. Find a busy, often-traveled location and place large signage with the address and an arrow pointing in the right direction (Ask your real estate agent Addison for great suggestions on prime locations to post signage). Then, lead potential buyers to your home by placing additional signage along the way. If the directions to your open house are detailed and clearly mapped, it shows that you are “on top of your game”--which implies that the home has also been cared for with the same meticulous attention to detail.

·      Clean, clean, clean!  Clean your home from top to bottom, even the long-forgotten places you may never expect viewers to look. These locations include the outside and inside of cabinets, the inside of dishwashers, laundry machines, walls, baseboards and ceiling fans.

·      Reduce all clutter. This is an important and often-underrated tip for home sale. It is imperative that all unnecessary items are removed from view and that all necessary items are put in their proper place. When selling your home (contact your real estate agent Addison), the goal becomes for the home to “sell itself”; this is only possible if you bring attention to all the great amenities the house has to offer. You also want viewers to envision the potential of the space—you want viewers to see what their life could be like living there. In the kitchen, remove all unnecessary items from the counter, but leave out a bowl of fruit and a cookbook. Decorative items are important and the cookbook illustrates a loving family that has shared many meals around the family table. Many people are looking for a place to raise their family, or enjoy their grandkids, and would prefer to live in a house where love and the values of family have long been associated with the home.

So, there are many pieces of advice from real estate agent Addison floating around, but if you choose to hold an open house, remember the goal is to help the house “sell itself” and to highlight that which makes the house different from others on the market. To iterate: advertise, simplify and clean! Create an atmosphere in which others could imagine themselves living, and help potential buyers conceive the love, friendship and adventures they could experience in their new home.

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