Value of an Open House
You may think that in this days, an open house is an antiquated idea. Most people shopping for a home simply look on line, right? While the Internet is a valuable tool for finding a home, a brief description and a few thumbnail photos cannot fully convey the charm and beauty of visiting the home in person. The Internet can be used as an effective way to advertise that you are having an open house. Many real estate agents promote their open houses by posting details on the multiple listings (MLS), broker and agent websites, and listing portals like Realtor.com.
If you are planning to sell your house, you should consider discussing an open house with your agent. It gives prospective buyers the opportunity to view your home in a low-pressure atmosphere. For that reason, you should plan to be out of the house because buyers feel ubcomfortable speaking candidly or asking questions in front of the current owners. It is important for buyers to be able to picture your house as their dream home, and they are more likely to do that if you are not present.
Many open houses are held on a weekend afternoon when more potential buyers have the time to look at homes. This may be a good time for you to schedule a fun family outing.
You may also want to remove peronal photos to further encourage buyers to picture the home as their own. Some other things that you can do to ensure a positive response from your opren house are to have your home as clean and appealing as possible and to complete such projects as repairing a leaky faucet or tacking down loose carpeting.
Prior to your open house, try to avoid cooking any food as fish or cabbage that have stong odors. In fact, you may want to brew a fresh pot of coffee or bake some cookies to leave a pleasant, welcoming aroma in your home.
When you are ready to buy or sell a home, please contact me. I would be happy to put my knowledge and experience to work for you !
