When you’re ready to sell your home, you’ll not only need an experienced, local real estate professional, but also, to get your home in salable order. That might not sound like much of a challenge, but it’s quite likely there’s more to do that you probably suppose. Because the property is your home and you see it everyday, you become “blind” to certain things. In other words, you’ve become accustomed to whatever quirks, flaws, and broken items in your home.
Now, it’s time to go over every nook and cranny, make a comprehensive list, and be willing to fix anything and everything that needs attention. Whatever might be trivial to you won’t be to potential buyers. In fact, it’s often the smallest things which raise the biggest objections. Though it sounds petty, if you put yourself in the buyer’s shoes, you too would definitely count these as a negative. Your property has to be in top shape and stay that way, especially when you host an open house.
Useful Open House Statistics
You’ve probably heard that very few homes sell at open houses, and, that’s correct. Though only about 1 percent of properties sell during open houses, these are very powerful marketing events. Real estate professionals have reported that between 3 and 7 percent of all their sales have come from open houses.
“If you’re looking for greater success in the open house arena, the first thing you need to know is how to get prospective buyers to show up. One of the best ways to attract people, is by promoting the open house as widely as you can and as early as possible in the place where most buyers are lurking—on the web.” —Realtor Magazine
What’s more, 4 percent of buyers state that attending open houses are their first steps in the purchase process. The stats get larger as the searches go on, as 45 percent buyers report that open houses serve as a vital information portal to their ultimate choice. In addition, 92 percent of buyers state that open houses are very useful in their house hunt.
Ways to Get the Most Out of an Open House
To get the most out of your open house, you have to set your property apart from the competition. In a market like Orlando, you need to be creative and be willing to making a few chances, if necessary. Here are some ways to get your open house to work to sell your property:
- Turn it into a “model” home. We’ve all been in new home models and what makes them so appealing is that they are welcoming. The furniture is perfectly placed, the dining room table is set, there’s neatly folded towels in the kitchen and bathrooms. That’s the look you need, so do those things and depersonalize every single room.
- Clear off the countertops and tabletops. Put away the juicer, all your toiletries, and remote controls. When you do this, you make these areas look bigger and of course, less cluttered. The fact is, the more spacious countertops and tabletops look, the more of an impression they’ll make.
- Put down a nice new doormat. A little noticed truism is that people reflexively look down at the door mat as they approach the front door. Spend a little money and put out a nice doormat to help make a welcoming impression.
- Let in plenty of light. Sunlight is a very powerful thing and a well lit home with the sunshine coming through the windows looks and feels more open, bright, and cheery. Set the air conditioner to make it comfortable and let the light in.
Another thing you ought to do is to let your listing agent do the talking. If buyers have any questions, the best person to have answer is your listing agent. In these scenarios, sellers can easily sabotage their own efforts.