When you are trying to figure out best practices, it is best just to ask the people who have years of experience and have figured out what works. And that’s just what we did; here are the top four open house tips we gathered from the pros:
1. Create a property website
Many homebuyers now squeeze multiple open houses into one day to maximize their time and effort. It is easy for properties and locations to run together in their minds.
The way to make your property stand out is to create a unique property page or website for your open house, according to John Bodrozic of HomeZada.com.
Instead of having to squint to review pictures of the house on their phone at the end of the day, they can simply log on to the site or page and see high-resolution images and pertinent details. This will make your listing stand out.
2. Partner up with local designers and artists
One of the tricky things about an open house is staging the house in an inviting and beautiful way. An excellent option is to pair up with a local designer, Paramount and Bond’s managing broker, Yvette Brown, said.
A local designer can gain exposure and you can get a fabulous space. Everybody wins. Younger designers are an especially good option, as they are often more willing to work with you to get their name out.
Pairing up with local artists is also an excellent choice. Artists are always looking to showcase their work. If you find a local artist whose work will also fit well with your open house space, contact them and see if they would be willing to participate.
Their artwork has a new audience, and you get original, beautiful and local art to make your open house pop. Not only does this make your open house stand out from the competition, it also highlights the people and art scene of the local community, which is great for potential buyers to see.
3. Make sure you have prepared these two key handouts for open house guests
Referral Exchange recommends two main handouts you need to have available. First, have a handy mortgage loan breakdown with numbers and estimated payment info that reflects loan interest rates in your area.
Second, make sure to have a handout with pertinent local information, such as schools (location, ratings, etc.), grocery stores, restaurants and other things such as which mobile phone provider has the best deals and service in the area.
With this info, your attendees will feel like they have the best information with which to make a decision.
4. Make sure to respond the same day to open house attendees
Collecting emails when open house guests first walk in the door is a great idea. Just politely ask if they would like to receive updates about the house and get notifications when you are doing other open houses in the area, Trevor Ewen of Neosavvy Labs said.
Putting together a great open house is a tricky thing to do. But these tips will get you on the right track to putting on the kind of open house that will have buyers coming back for more.
Jason Rueger is writer for Fit Small Business, a product and service review site for small-business owners.
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